Archive of Our Own ^beta

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0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-September 16 2018-0-0-0-0-0-0

Haseo stood in front of the large gathering which had come to join his guild Canard. Having his own area made his guild much more appealing to the new, and longtime players. Net Slum Tartarga was a special area in many different ways and the guildmaster, who had a hard time admitting he had grown fond of managing the guild, made sure to make use of all its features for his guild members.

Ever since the guild Moon Tree nearly collapsed, many of their former members decided to make their way over to Canard. They viewed it as a less extreme version of Moon Tree, but keeping intact the original ideal of helping other players enjoy [The World] to its fullest. But a crowd that gathered today was really large, and Haseo couldn't really believe what was happening. Death Grunty stood at the guildmaster's side, wagging his tail quickly, and looking quite pleased with itself.

"I'm Grunty, You're Haseo! *oink* You've done well my servant! I can see just how hard you've been working for my guild! *oink* But don't think that I'm done with you just yet. *oink* I'm going to squeeze every last drop of effort from your body until you're just a shriveled up prune *oink*" Silabus, who was sitting at a table with Gaspard handling new member registrations, laughed to himself, thinking about how little the guild had actually changed despite gaining huge popularity.

Haseo noticed the Co-Guild Master's laugh and walked over in front of him, standing in front of the person he was processing with his arms crossed. "Do you wanna go punk?" He asked in a half smirk. Silabus felt a drop of sweat roll down the back of his head as he tried to wave Haseo off. "Now now, I didn't mean anything by it. I just was thinking that you've changed so much yet so little at the same time." He chuckled again as the adept rogue walked away, apologizing to the person he stepped in front of.

He never thought he would have to create so many different ranks in the guild, and in a way it was starting to look like how Moon Tree had their ranks set up. He himself oversaw all of the Captains and Lieutenants that each managed a portion of the members. Silabus, Gaspard, and Atoli of course were his first choice. But to his amazement, Matsu, and Alkaid both stepped up to help manage the guild.

He turned his head to the beast player he called his friend. Gaspard had really changed the most thanks to the guild, and his own hard work and efforts. He was able to stand in front of a crowd without completely shutting down, whilst keeping the happy attitude and infectious smile that Haseo had come to rely on during the days that were tougher for him.

He looked around and saw all the players interacting with each other. Matsu was spawning in monsters for the lower level players to fight against, and showing them the mechanics of the game. Shino was sitting with a bunch of other players just chatting away. Alkaid, who was there moments prior, had taken a large sum of players to attempt a raid boss. And Piros the 3rd, who wasn't even a member of Canard, was spinning his "hypothetical" stories and, oddly enough, inspiring those who listened to him.

But the one person he wanted to see the most, wasn't online at the moment. He opened his Member Address list and glanced at Atoli's name. She had been absent from [The World] recently, which worried Haseo and made him a little antsy and on edge. He turned around and shouted at his two friends. "Hey! I'm gonna head offline for a bit. I'll catch up with you guys later."

The Blade Brandier laughed awkwardly and said to Gaspard "He's just going to leave us with all these new members isn't he?" Gaspard smiled and said "Oh come on Silabus, it's not all that bad. We can do it!"

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Ryou Misaki, the player behind Haseo, removed his M2D, and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. He rarely got much sleep anymore, devoting most of his time to [The World], while still maintaining a part time job, and keeping up his grades at the private school he went to. He stood up and walked to the kitchen of his apartment. He didn't know what sounded good to him, so he just threw some bread in the toaster and walked away for a moment, pulling out his phone and checking it.

He had hoped to see a text from her, but there was nothing. He had to admit, after what had happened between them at the Hulle Granz Cathedral… when he turned his back on Shino and chased after her… things were a little awkward. Neither of them knew what to do at that point, and neither of them really could talk about how they felt about each other. So they stayed as friends for the time being.

Everyone around the two knew though, and were getting frustrated that they weren't an official couple yet. Alkaid, who had feelings for Haseo still lingering in her heart, was the most adamant about him and Atoli. She sent him not so subtle messages constantly, reminding him that if he didn't treat her right that the twin blade would be there to unleash a world of hurt on him.

He opened up his messenger and decided to send Chigusa, the player behind Atoli, a text message.

'Hey. Haven't seen you in a bit. Get back to me when you can. Everyone's worried.'

He sighed softly and put his phone down on the table that was in his kitchen.

The apartment that he lived in was much too big for just one person, but it was the one that his father had bought for him after Ryou insisted on moving out. He couldn't really accept that his dad had remarried after divorcing his mom, and wanted out of a situation where he would potentially have to accept someone else in his life who he would have to call "Mother." Especially after what had happened to his biological mom. The apartment Had an almond colored scheme, that kind of brought a little warmth in the roomy place. His kitchen was tiled, and decked out with granite countertops. He rarely cooked, but when he did he was really good at it, there just wasn't much reason to do so unless he had company.

He grabbed his toast from the countertop and walked past the kitchen table he never sat at, into the living room which was connected to his kitchen. He had a fake plant by the door to his apartment which really was the only decorative thing in the place. The door lead into the living room where there was a blue couch pressed up against the wall, with a coffee table in front of that. Directly across from that was an entertainment center lined up with consoles of the past he liked to collect, and an oversized LCD screen that he only used when he watched the occasional movie.

He plopped down on the couch and started to munch on his toast. The teen turned his thoughts to his friend Ovan. He was a wanted criminal now, thanks to CC Corp using him as a scapegoat. He sighed and thought about how it wouldn't matter, because the real life Ovan was in a hospital somewhere, in a coma. For the first week after the defeat of Cubia, he did nothing but search the areas, hoping to find his friend somewhere, but with no luck.

Shino made him stop though. She told the teen that he had already lost so much time trying to bring her out of the coma that she was in, and if he tried to do the same for Ovan, it would consume him again. He knew that wasn't entirely false, but he still wanted to do everything he could for his friend.

His eyes started to flutter close, letting exhaustion take him. The young teen finally was able to drift to sleep. Not too long after that, his phone vibrated and his screen showed he had a text message from Chigusa.

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Chapter Text

Ryou awoke from his nap with a startled gasp, not even 30 minutes after he had finally gotten to sleep. A nightmare had awoken him. The same one. Every time. He sat up on the couch and put his face in his hands.

He had dreamt that AIDA had begun to infect everyone he had made friends with over the years he had been in [The World]. He could only watch helplessly in his dream as all his friends around him fell. He was powerless to stop them, and he was scared of the prospect of being alone. He brought his hand to his face and let out a shuddered breath.

The dream had absolutely no merit, as AIDA had been wiped from the network, but he still felt like if he went anywhere, something bad would happen to the ones he held closest to him. The ones who were able to soften his cold heart.

He stood up from his couch and glanced at his phone. His eyes widened suddenly and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the name on the text. He quickly unlocked his phone and scrambled to get the message open.

I’m sorry that I haven’t been on too much recently. There have been some things going on… I want… no, I need to see you Ryou. I can’t keep this bottled in anymore. Please Ryou… come to the Hulle Granz Cathedral.

The teen’s heart sunk in his chest. He had a looming feeling that something terrible happened in her life, and he felt the urge to rush to her side and take care of her in any way he possibly could. He rushed back into his bedroom, which really only had a twin bed, a dresser, his desk that housed his ALTIMIT OS computer. He had blackout curtains over his windows so his room was dark all the time, and on a side note, it also kept his room warmer.

He might as well have jumped into his office chair, as he slid his M2D over his head started [The World] using his controller. After a brief loading screen, he saw the city of Lumina Cloth, where some players stopped and stared at him.

He had become a celebrity of [The World] and had more people obsessed with him than Endrance did in his prime. The shrill voice of “IT’S HASEO!!!” followed by the sound of many clambering steps spelt his doom.

Hands started to reach towards him as, he instinctively jumped backwards. “Damn it! I think I prefer when they ran away from me when I was a PKK.” They continued to come towards him all of them asking silly questions like “How did you get that form?” “Are you going to fight in the arena again to go for emperor?” “What is your relationship to Alkaid?” “What is your relationship to Atoli?” “Can I join your guild?” He pushed his way through all the grabby hands, (a few of them decided to get a butt grab in.) Haseo decided he really didn’t have time for this, so he accessed the Chaos Gate, and warped to the Δ server, Mac Anu, leaving many fans in a disappointment. Saw the Eternal City and didn’t waste a moment in pulling his bookmark page up, and selecting Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground, before anyone else could disrupt him.

The Hulle Granz Cathedral fluttered into the Adept Rogue’s view, and he let out an enthusiastic grin as he started down the bridge towards the cathedral itself. He couldn’t hide his anticipation as his pace quickened, almost flying up the stairs, and throwing open the main doors.

And there she stood, with her back towards him staring at the empty Plinth that once held the statue of Aura. She turned towards him and smiled gently at his presence. The same smile that never failed to leave him stunned and slightly out of breath. He quickly composed himself and walked towards her. “Atoli.” He started in his normal tone of voice, stopping when he was standing next to her.

“I was starting to think…” she said holding her hand against her heart, letting her relief show. “That you weren’t going to come. I thought I made you angry or something.” The dual gunner scratched the back of his head and said “Look… I’m sorry about that, I kind of fell asleep and such…”

She shook her head quickly and threw up her hands in front of her. “Oh no! You don’t have to apologize at all!” She then brought her hands behind her and twined her fingers together. “Though… I have to say Haseo, You really know how to keep a girl waiting don’t you!”

Haseo cringed and sighed softly. She had him pinned under her thumb and he knew it. Not that he was really complaining. He leaned his elbow against the bars and held his chin with his hand. “So… what’s wrong?” He glanced over at her with a worried expression. “You sounded kind of serious in your email.”

Her face let off a sharp pang of sadness and her head dipped softly. Haseo quickly stood straight and walked over to her, now even more concerned than he was. “Atoli. You need to tell me what’s happening.” After a moment of silence she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

Something inside of the young man just snapped when he saw her crying, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, wanting nothing more than to protect her eliminate the source of her tears.

She didn’t pull back, although it initially came as a surprise to her, instead she started sobbing. It wasn’t the first time he saw her like this. He saw all of her bottled feelings and memories when they saved her from AIDA. But back then it didn’t hurt nearly as much as it did right now.

He didn’t know what to say. Haseo honestly didn’t know how he could help this girl in front of him. All he could do was hold her tighter and gently stroke her back as her tears made the white outfit he was wearing damp.

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Kitchi Teshima, was nervously twiddling his thumbs. He was waiting for an interview for a major technology company. Misaki Industries was the leading company when it came to development and improvements on the Micro Monocle Display units that were getting ever more popular with online games. He brushed his hand through his shaggy almond hair that really hadn’t changed that much in the past 7 years.

The 3rd Network Crisis left many people extremely tense, Kitchi included. Although he was for a completely different reason.

It was so long since he was known as Kite, and ever since [The World R:1] had shut down, he hadn’t picked up the game since. He knew while it was happening, exactly what the cause for the crisis was. The answer, as always, rested in [The World.]

He sighed sadly remembering how useless he had felt, and even contemplated sending an email to Aura asking what he could do to help. His new girlfriend, Akira, had told him that there was a point in time where the two of them wouldn’t hesitate to take on dangers together, and she understood that he was scared to get back into that fight.

Kitchi just felt that the time of Kite and BlackRose were over though. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t keep tabs on [The World]. He knew everything that happened. Wiseman, (or as he was now known as Yata, or Nala, Kitchi couldn’t really keep track anymore, and wondered how that man had so much time on his hands) occasionally emailed him about the events.

He knew about AIDA, and the Epitaphs, and the reappearance of Cubia, and the player called Haseo who kept them all together. But, the young man couldn’t feel anything but unease. He felt like even after Cubia had been defeated, that it was just the calm before the storm.

The 21 year old tapped his foot at a quick pace and wondered if it was time to pick up [The World] one more time, just to put everything to rest. The young man leaned back on the bench and tried to calm his nerves, especially before an important interview.

The office was, for lack of a better description, was a gamer’s luxury. The color scheme left a feeling of ease with its blue and yellow designs painted on the wall in no particular pattern. The crisp blue business suit Kitchi was wearing felt really out of place in such an environment, and it honestly it made him look like Phoenix Wright. (He had to fight off the urge to scream Objection! At the mirror when getting ready in the morning)

The office had a bunch of other really cool items lying around in cases, such as the first Head Mounted Display prototype, and even an antique ALTIMIT OS computer. There were also portraits of popular games that used the M2Ds as a display unit, including [The World].

Directly in front of him was the personal secretary of the company’s CEO. She was busy at work typing away, trying to sort out her bosses schedule. Although not busy enough where she couldn’t check out the cute boy who walked in for the interview. But she had to remind herself that newbies were friends, not food.

He looked down at the laptop bag that he brought everywhere with him and decided to check his email if he had some extra time. Getting his customized M2D out of the bag and sliding it on his face, Kitchi loaded his ALTIMIT OS desktop, and navigated to the email icon.

Yasuhiko had emailed him (again) bragging about the new gig he got down in the Shibuya district, selling tickets for soccer games. He apparently raked in a lot of money by doing this.

Akira emailed him a good luck letter, telling him to keep focused at the interview, and not to let things distract him too much, and that she would see him whenever he got back to the apartment that they had rented together.

But the last email he saw… made his heart stop for a few moments.

He stared into the display for a few moments before hurriedly opening the email from Aura.

“Kite… I hope this email finds you well.
I wish I could come to you on less dire circumstances, however, the slumber I have put myself in the sea of data has shown me a glimpse of what is coming. The Children of Morganna will not be able to handle this themselves, and even with you they still may not have a chance. The Twilight of the 3rd Network Crisis has yet to reach the land. You will need allies, new and old, to be able to stand a chance of defeating it. Otherwise your world, as well as mine, may become lost forever.

The email was chilling and he found himself short of breath. The feeling he had in his gut had been realized, and now he was getting dragged back into the fight. With shaky hands he removed his M2D to see reality once again. There was a man now standing in front of him casually dressed, with a smile on his face. He looked Kitchi in the eye and said with a hearty laugh,

“Nothing makes me happier to see young people using my company’s technology! Especially those who are potential employees!” He stuck his hand out and said “Hello, I’m the founder, CEO and President of Misaki Industries. You can just call me Mr. Misaki!”

Chapter Text

5 minutes felt like an eternity for Haseo. 5 minutes of hearing her sobs of helplessness, and knowing that there wasn’t much he could do to comfort her pain agonized him. Waves of emotion, like anger at whoever caused this beautiful girl to shed tears, worry about what could be happening in her life that would make her like this, and even guilt, coursed through his being. But finally after that long eternity, her sobs slowly died down. He took a step back and gazed into her emerald eyes.

“Atoli…” he said sadly. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at him with an embarrassed look on her face. “I’m sorry... I didn’t…”

He grit his teeth slightly before cutting her off mid-sentence. “You idiot… you don’t have to apologize for anything.” He hated that after all the confidence she had gained, whatever she was going through was enough to make her start apologizing for everything when she didn’t need to. He gave her a soft smile and wiped away a stray tear that had slid all the way down her cheek with the back of his finger. “Let’s sit down… then you can tell me all about it.”

Without waiting for her reaction, he took her hand in his and led her to one of the pews in the cathedral, before sitting her down and him next to her. He released his grip on her hand but still kept his own on top of it, then glanced over at the harvest cleric. “Please… let me know what’s going on so I can do something about it okay?”

Taking a second to compose herself, she looked down into her lap but spoke loud enough for him to hear. “I… really did it this time Haseo.” her hand that was on her lap clenched into a small fist while the hand that was trapped under the adept rogue’s. He didn’t say anything, instead just waited for her to elaborate.

“It all started this Friday. I went out after school to shop, there was an outfit I thought was adorable. So I went and bought it.” She bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before continuing. “And when I got home, and tried it on… my mom came into the room. She was…” He could feel her hand trembling underneath his own, so trying to soothe her, he brushed his thumb over the top of her hand.

She initially was surprised by the gesture, but it made her feel a little bit better to know he was here with her, listening to her, and most importantly to her, seeing her. She continued her story after a moment of hesitation. “My mom was less than pleased with the way I was dressed… she said no daughter of hers was going to be dressing like a prostitute…” He cut in for a moment to ask, “The outfit, what was it?” She tilted her head to the side wondering why he was asking. “It was a skirt, with a belt kind of draped over the hip with a shirt that said ‘I am thou, thou art I’ and a picture of something that looked like a tarot card in the middle. It also came with a black and white checkered jacket.” He shook his head and said “Okay so absolutely nothing about makes you look like a prostitute but continue anyway.”

She smiled, glad the he understood, then continued. “She… said that she was tired of me constantly bringing disgrace unto her, and…” Her eyes started to tear up again as she struggled to choke the next few words out. “She told me… that I was no longer welcome under her roof, and… I had until next week to leave. And I…” The stream of tears started to roll down her cheeks, “And I don’t know… what to do!!” Her sobs started anew, and stronger than before.

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He wasn’t on the best terms with his parents, even to the point where he moved out on his own, but he couldn’t imagine not wanting them in his life or vice versa. He squeezed her hand softly and she buried her eyes into his chest once again, as if he was the only emotional anchor she had.

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Kitchi Teshima walked into his apartment, and sighed heavily, tossing his bag onto the azure countertop, and undoing his tie aggressively and tossing it to the side. His girlfriend was sitting in a white T-shirt with the word GO! Written on it. She was playing a game on their TV when she tilted her head backwards and gazed at him with her amber eyes twinkling with excitement. “So?! How did it go?”

He walked over to the fuzzy red couch that she was sitting on, and placed a hand on her tanned leg, rubbing it gently. “Oh it went well enough… he was… jovial I guess? Promised to get back to me as soon as he reviewed the other applicants and such.” She nodded at him and then asked “Then why do you seem so glum chum?” He laid his head in her lap, slinging his legs over the arm of the couch. He remained silent for a while as she began to play with his teal hair.

She smiled softly and said to him in a loving tone “There you go again, clamming up when you should be talking, you’ve not changed since the day I met you.” He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relaxation. “You know, you haven’t done a whole lot of changing yourself. Well, besides dropping that whole tsundere ‘It’s not because I like you or anything’ you were doing before we got together.” She smacked him on the chest gently and tried her best to not look amused, before cupping his cheek. “But I think I know you well enough to know when you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

He tensed his muscles, then relaxed them, knowing she had him pegged. “I got an email this morning, before the interview.” She perked up for a moment, “My email made you upset?” He shook his head quickly “No! It was very sweet, and thoughtful.” The young lady put a finger up to her chin to ponder for a second. “Yasuhiko being a fuckboy again?”
Kitchi snorted at that “Well! Yes but no. He was bragging about the job he has again.” She rolled her eyes then said “well then cut the suspense and tell me who messaged you!” The man let out a sigh and uttered one word that would bring the peaceful world he had built for the two of them crashing down.

“Aura.”

She stopped all her movements, and for a while an eerie silence fell on the both of them. Her eyes widened and when she finally moved to speak, her words got caught in her throat. Kitchi was the one to eventually break the quiet. “There’s… trouble brewing again, and the current protectors of [The World] can’t handle it.” He bit his lip and clenched his fist sitting up on the couch and slamming his fist on the armrest, causing his girlfriend to jump in surprise.

“Damn it! It’s not fair!” He growled in frustration. “I quit because I was done with the fight! I put my life on the line every day during Pluto Again, and I thought it was all over when R1 was finally shut down. But when trouble started brewing in R2, and I was starting my life with you… everyone wanted me to drop everything to become the savior of [The World] again, and I was so scared... “

He got louder clenching in his fists into his lap, and shuddering in anger, guilt, and terror. “Scared of losing everything I worked so hard for… scared of losing you, of the friends I made.. God I’m just a coward, I know the fate of the world, both virtual and real are at risk but I still am terrified…”

His trembling slowed, and she climbed behind him and pressed her chest against his back, resting her hand and head on his shoulder. “You’re not a coward Kitchi… you’ve gone through so much and done so much more for everyone in the world, and no one outside of our group will ever know about it. You were the one who kept fighting when the rest of us had given up. You’re a hero, and I understand not wanting to put your life at risk anymore.”

“Just know, whatever you decide to do… wherever Kite goes, BlackRose will always follow… even if that means making a return to [The World]” She smiled and turned his face towards hers, cupping his cheek and stroking it gently. “I love you Kitchi. More than anything.” Letting her eyes fall shut, she leaned in and pressed his lips against his own.

And just like that, all his anger, and fear melted away. His muscles relaxed against hers and he deepened the kiss, before pulling away. “I love you too Akira.” He smiled and closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they flashed with a certain resolve. “In that case, I guess we need to go shopping for new hardware huh?” Feeling a sense of pride that she was able to make him feel a little better, she decided to let her mischievous side come out to play.

“We don’t have to go right now, do we?” He knew that tone of voice and gulped loudly, understanding what was coming. He knew he had to choose his next words very very carefully. “I mean… we don’t HAVE to?” She grinned and said “Smart Man.”

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Another eternity passed before the Harvest Cleric had calmed down enough for them to sit awkwardly with each other, unsure of what to say. Their hands were still intertwined, and a blank look was plastered on her face. She muttered under her breath “I don’t know… what to do anymore.”

Haseo’s heart lurched at her suffering, and he opened his mouth to say something. Even though he knew what he was about to say, when it came out of his mouth, it surprised him as much as it surprised her.

“Hey, why not come live with me in Tokyo?” She perked up at how ridiculous the proposition sounded at first, especially since they haven’t really met in real life before. But they were extremely close from their past battles, and she felt that he knew her better than anyone else really did.

“But… I don’t want to be a burden or cause you trouble, and I can be… mmphn?!” He silenced her train of thought by covering her mouth with his hand. “Man I don’t know how many times I’ve told you this Atoli, but I’ll say it again because apparently you’re hard of hearing or something.” He grinned at her and said “That stuff you’ve been telling yourself isn’t true. Sure sometimes you’re irritating, especially when I feel like you’re trying to pick a fight with me.” He pulled his hand away from her mouth and then said,

“So if it’s okay with you, I mean if you don’t have any other options, my place is always available for you.”

Chapter Text

“Your total is 74,657 yen!” The cashier cheerfully exclaimed, a wide grin stretched across her face. Kitchi felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. He had originally been saving this money to go on a vacation with Akira... however, given the ominous email he had received from Aura, the money instead  went towards buying a brand new M2D as well as a few upgrades for his PC to ensure it could run The World: R2 smoothly.

With a resigned sigh, he swiped his debit card to complete the purchase. There was no turning back now. The cashier quickly handed over the bags containing his new equipment, bowing in appreciation as he exited the store and walked towards the car he had received as a gift from his father. It was an older model; a 1990 Toyota Celica All-Trac. Though  a little worse for wear, it was an overall reliable vehicle that excelled at its primary function. He was forever grateful for the gift, and to have such supportive parents.

Kitchi climbed into his car, sighing once more as he turned the key in the ignition. Anxious fingers combed through his hair, eyes slowly drawn to the bag which now sat innocently on the passenger’s side seat. Somehow, however absurd it might sound... he felt as though  it was staring right back at him. A sudden chill ran up his spine, prompting him to shift his car into gear as he pulled out of the parking lot.

As soon as his tires hit the main road, his mind erupted  into a stream of disquieting visions... thoughts and ideas of all the numerous ways things could go wrong in the fast approaching future. Thankfully, his brooding was soon interrupted by the ringing of his cellphone. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, instantly recognizing Akira’s ringtone. Being the cautious person he was, he enabled hands-free mode before answering so as not to be distracted while driving.

“Hey, I’m just leaving the store now. I got the new hardware.” He could practically hear the smile in her voice as she responded, even separated through the phone.

“Did you get me one too?” she teased. He hesitated a moment before replying, quietly. “I could really only afford mine.” A chuckle echoed from her end. “I’m just messing with you! I’m gonna buy my own gear after I get off work.” Kitchi sighed in relief. Even after knowing her for so long, he wasn't 100% confident in his ability to tell whether or not she was messing with him.

“Alright, I guess I’ll see you when you get home tonight. Alright? I’m gonna get everything set up, and create my new character.”

On the other side of the phone, Akira sat at her cubicle. She was currently on break from the call center. Smirking to herself, she crossed her legs into a more comfortable position while they spoke. It was just like him to be so impatient. No matter what opinion he asserted to her or himself, he still loved MMO’s. “Alright then, but just don’t get too far ahead. Okay? We agreed that we would be in this together.”

“Mmhmn. Is it okay if we order a pizza for dinner tonight? So we don’t have to take any significant breaks?” He asked, his tone hopeful. She sighed, a hand coming up to slowly rub at her temple in mild annoyance. With him, it was either pizza or beef stew as his meal of choice. Not that he was a picky eater, but it seemed to her that lately he wouldn't eat anything else.

“ Y'know, you’re gonna get fat if you keep eating that kind of food.... but, fine. We'll get pizza later. Anyway, I gotta get back to work. I love you, Kitchi. ”

“I love you too, Akira.” With that, their call ended. Kitchi enjoyed the rest of his drive home in relative silence, wondering what The World would be like after 7 years... and on a darker note, the new impending threat Aura had forewarned. An unimaginable power, which not only held the potential to put an end to countless virtual worlds... but the real world as well. He shuddered at the thought, finally pulling into the complexes shared parking lot.

Upon entering his home, he went straight for his computer room and began  the careful process of taking apart his PC to install the new parts. It was a bit of a struggle at first, as he had to figure which piece went where, or which wire attached to which part, but  he eventually got the hang of it. Once he was satisfied that he had everything put back the way it was supposed to be, he eagerly powered on his computer. He sat down in his chair with the manual for the new game in his hands, opening it to read.

He thumbed through it, as the computer installed the necessary drivers for his new devices, reading up on the game’s remastered lore and races before he finally got to section which listed the various classes available to play. A confident smirk spread across his face when he saw that Twin Blades were still in the game. He knew exactly what class he was going to choose once he got in.

As if on cue, the ALTIMIT OS program finished its installations and was ready to be used. He noticed two new icons on his desktop. One said The World, of course, and the other one was something he had heard about from friends. It was a new virtual card game called Crimson VS. He made a mental note to himself to check it out later, when he had time.

He dragged his cursor over The World icon, hesitating.

No. He wouldn't let his fear and doubts get to him, not now. Not when Aura needed him; not when The World needed him. Shaking off what remained of his nervous energy,  he double-clicked the icon, and with it the program immediately launched into a simple registration page.

The young man stared blankly at the screen, contemplating what he was going to use as his online alias. It didn’t take very long for him to decide, of course. There was really only one name it could be; the one name that fit, even after all this time. He typed his choice into the required field, a soft grin gently turning the corners of his lips.

Username: Kite

Password: ********

And with that, his registration was complete. His M2D went dark for a brief moment as it loaded the game's millions of assets- finally displaying a start-up page with a sword and the remains of a ruined city in the background behind it. Something deep in his stomach churned with anticipation.

It was reminiscent of the login screen used for The World R:1, but while the older style could be described as more fantastical, or rustic, with its burned scroll and runes… this newer style obviously found its roots in the steampunk subculture. He smiled when he saw there was a community forum that the devs supported, alongside an official site for the game that he assumed would contain a plethora of useful information.

Though he doubted too much of the lore or core mechanics had changed between the two games, he decided it might be best to do a little reading. He opened the official site, perusing the various the patch notes and interesting tidbits of information... slowly returning to his old habits.

After catching himself up on all major changes, patches, lore, what each class specialized in, and whatever else had managed to catch his interest- he felt confident in his knowledge of game’s inner workings. More or less. He wouldn’t put off the inevitable any longer… it was time to finally log into the game.

He expected to be redirected to a character creation screen, but after a few moments of waiting without any apparent response from the game… he began to realize something was off.

A completely white, featureless void met his vision.

With growing unease, he thought that his brand-new M2D had suddenly malfunctioned and died on him only after a few minutes of use. He was getting ready to yank the thing off his head until he noticed something… odd. His eyes widened- gaze drawn to an enormous, glowing red triangle in the middle of the room; a huge chunk of textureless earth floating eerily in the center. Sitting atop the slab was what appeared to be an antique rocking chair, and a great number of books.

The more he looked around the room, the less inclined he was to believe that this part of the typical first-time user experience. Just as he began to move, he heard something; a hauntingly familiar sound, which shook him to very depths of his being. The delicate chime was unmistakable. A cold sweat broke out across his body; an involuntary shiver travelling along his spine. That noise…

It was an A in C major.

Muscles tense and on high-alert, Kitchi began thoroughly scanning the area for anything he hadn’t noticed originally. A full minute passed without any change, until something new seemed to materialize from the very emptiness of the room itself. Its appearance was that of a small ball of blue fire, and it made a swift b-line towards him- gradually growing in size and intensity. It was a vivid, spiraling torrent of Azure flame. Kitchi was forced to shield his eyes, the light too intense at this distance to continue staring.

As the blue light behind his eyelids gradually faded, he slowly pulled his arms away and blinked back the remaining white spots in his vision… only to be met with a sight that left his mouth comically agape.

It was the avatar of a twin-blade; their outfit a strange mixture of burnt orange and yellows, criss-crossed with stitches. They sported spiky teal hair with messy bangs, most being trapped beneath a similarly stitched and colored cap as their main attire. Their cheeks were marked by red, triangular-shaped wave symbols. Even with these minor differences- such as the model’s overall patched-together appearance and intimidating pale blue eyes… there was no mistaking the familiarity.

This was his old character: Kite.

The twin-blade exhaled a long, breathy groan as he shifted his piercing gaze up and down Kitchi’s currently transparent body. He made no move to come nearer, merely watching. “What... is this?” the user asked, though not expecting any real response from his strange guest. He took a cautious step toward his old character model, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice... as soft as it was kind.

“An empty shell. An imperfect recreation of my greatest champion, and my dearest friend.” A young woman gradually came into being behind the Azure Knight. She was clothed in a white gown, a shawl of the same color draped around her shoulders and clasped together with an infinity symbol.

“Aura...” Kitchi breathed, in awe. Even after receiving the email that led to his return to virtual space, he still couldn’t believe that she was here right now.

The A.I. smiled delicately, delighted to be reunited with her old companion. “Hello, Kitchi… I was beginning to fear you would never come... I’m so glad you’re here.” She floated closer to him, reaching out and gently taking his incorporeal hand within her own… and odd as it seemed, Kitchi could actually feel the sensation of their flesh against his real hand. “I’m so sorry, Kitchi… I feel awful, calling you here. I know you’ve settled down, moved on from The World… but I would not have called you back over something trivial.”

He squeezed her hand in return, a reassuring smile appearing on his ghostly visage. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. It took me forever to get here. I had to buy brand new hardware and make sure everything worked, but… it’s honestly so great to see you again.” Slowly, Aura released his hand- moving back a few feet. Her expression was suddenly dire. “You must make contact with the children of Morgana. The 8 Phases will become your allies.” Closing her eyes, she recited the verses of an old poem. The words felt vaguely familiar to to him.

“... Riding the wake is Skeith, the Shadow of Death to drown all that stands. Mirage of Deceit, Innis- Betray all with the flawed image, and did aid the Wave… and by the Power of Magus, a drop from the Wave doth reach the heavens- and creates a new Wave. With the Wave, Fidchell, the power to tell the dark future… hope darkens. Sadness and despair rule. Gorre schemes when swallowed by the Cursed Wave. Macha seduces with the sweet trap. Wave reaches the Pinnacle, and escape none can. Tarvos still remains with more cruelty to punish and destroy… and with the turbulent destruction after the Wave, only a void remains. From deep within the void arrives Corbenik. ”

Taking a moment to pause, her face softened- the words she spoke next were new.

“ ... the curse of old has been undone. The once cursed Wave now stand as one, unified. Riding the wave is Skeith, The Terror of Death… to defend all who are worthy. Mirage of Deceit, Innis... learning to accept her true nature, protecting all she holds dear. And by the power of Magus, a drop from the Wave doth reach the heavens… to breathe new life into being. With the Wave, Fidchell… the power to predict a hopeful future- instilling faith, courage, and valor into his listeners. Gorre plans as one, swaddled in warmth and acceptance by the Wave. Macha wraps her arms about her treasured friends, and captures her foes in the wake of her claws. Tarvos fights to uphold honor and justice... to punish the wicked, and shield the innocent. Though lost,  the last of the Wave shall be restored... Corbenik rejoins the Wave, bringing an end to the nightmares that befoul our dreams. ”

… as suddenly she arrived, Aura’s ethereal form began to slowly fade away. “The three Azure Knights, who have fought valiantly in defense of their home for so many years… they will unite to aid the user who awoke the Ultimate Being. Together, with the combined might of the 8 Phases… no threat can hope to prevail. Now the time has come for you to reclaim your power, Kitchi. To take your rightful place among these brave warriors. Become once more, Kite of the Azure Flame.”

As the last remaining signs of Aura’s presence faded into white mist, her words still ringing within his mind, Kitchi’s old avatar reached out an  arm to his counterpart; an invitation to finally take the reigns of power that slept dormant inside the program’s code.

It was a lot of information to take in all at once, but he tried to commit her words to memory, as Aura’s words were never meaningless, and once he was ready, he looked the twin blade in the eyes, and said “Well.. once more unto the breach huh?” He extended his hand towards the AI based on him, and a soft glow enveloped the two.

Slowly, starting with his fingers, the twin blade’s body began to flake away into bits of light- traveling towards Kitchi and reassembling itself around his respective body part. Kitchi watched with wide eyes as he started to become corporeal, and the areas that were stitched together on what aura called an empty shell, were made whole around him.

Upon reaching the AI’s head, it let out a soft groan again, and although it was difficult to see before he completely faded away, the now whole Kite could have sworn that it was smiling in content. The newly reformed twinblade looked down at his body, turning his arms over and rotating his legs slightly, before curling his fingers into a fist.

“I’m back.” His eyes flashed with a determination as he felt a sense of confidence flow through him, as if he had found a part of him that he had been missing. Around his right arm, though only visible for a brief moment, the bracelet aura had given him when he first used the Book of the Twilight glowed softly as if it was happy to be reunited with its former master.

0-0---00-0-0--0-000-0

The entire apartment smelled of bleach. The sound of bristles scraping against the floor, getting every nook and cranny, echoed throughout the space that Ryou had called his home. He had kept his house pretty clean consistently, but with the thought of a girl named Chigusa coming to live with him from now on…

Ryou redoubled his efforts, wanting everything to be perfect for her. He was surprised when Atoli had agreed to his instinctual blurb, and even more so when she willingly gave him all of her personal info without a second thought. The whole people placing their trust in him thing was still really new to the young man, but he can’t say it didn’t feel good.

Satisfied that everything was about as clean as he could get it, he wiped the sweat off his brow and pulled the mask that was covering his nose and face down past his chin.

To him, it looked like a vast improvement, when in reality it was now only lemon scented from the bleach. “Right well… I guess I should shower and get ready now…” He said to no one in particular.

Grabbing his cleaning supplies, he walked out of the spare bedroom that would become Chigusa’s room, to the kitchen and dumped the water down the drain. Cleaning wasn’t the only thing he did to prepare for her arrival. This whole thing had been financially taxing, and it made him do something he really didn’t want to do.

A few days prior

“You want to borrow some money?” his father asked over the phone with a tone of surprise. It was extremely unusual for his son to ask for any sort of help, which made him worry he got mixed up in something sketchy or he got arrested.

"Yeah… I have a friend who is going to come live with me for a while… and I kinda need to buy new furniture and stuff…” Ryou glanced to the side as if he was avoiding his father’s gaze through the speaker.

Mr. Misaki only smiled though, feeling silly to have doubted his son. “A friend? You’ve not mentioned anything like that before Ryou.”

The teen was starting to get slightly annoyed though, as this request damaged his pride enough as it was. “Look, can you help me out or not old man?” to which the middle aged man chuckled and waved his hand absentmindedly.

“Of course of course. I was just surprised. As your father it would be an honor to help you and any friend of yours.” He pulled up his banking app and started a transfer transaction, to his son’s account. “How does 1,000,000 yen sound?” he asked, not even waiting for a reply before completing the transaction.

Ryou nearly fell out of the chair he was sitting in at the time. “A MILLION?! You’ve got to be kidding me? I don’t want that much!”

“Oh?” His dad said coyly. “You should have been more specific with the amount then? Anyway it’s already transferred.” Ryou grit his teeth angrily. “Anyway this friend of yours…” He started again. “For you have to taken them in, they must be really close to you. You should introduce me sometime?”

Ryou sighed and said “Yeah sure dad…” He struggled really hard to get the next bit out. “T-thank you for loaning me this money, I’ll pay it back as soon as I can.” That took his father aback even more than he already was. There was a moment of silence before he flashed a genuine smile.

That was the first time in a long long time, that Ryou had ever called him dad, and even longer since he had thanked him. “My son, you never have to pay me back. I’m so glad to help you out whenever you need me to.” And with that he hung up.

Ryou, clenched his fist harder and shouted at the phone, even though he knew that his dad had already hung up, “Don’t think that this means I’ve forgiven you! I haven’t forgiven you for what you did to mom!” Tears started to well up in his eyes as he remembered times when they were a family… when she was still alive… before he divorced her and she took her own life out of grief.

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and checked his bank account. Sure enough, there was 1,000,000 more in there than the last time he had looked.

It had been a few days since then, and Ryou had been on a shopping spree. The once empty room now had a queen size bed against the wall in the upper right corner. It sat naked, as he was sure she would want to choose her own sheets and stuff.

Directly across from the bed was a full length mirror, with a white wooden frame. Upon closer inspection, you could see that the mirror doubled as a jewelry case, as there was a hinge. A few feet from that there was the door to a small closet space, and then a mahogany desk, nearly identical to his, a foot after that. He hadn’t quite used even 200,000 yen much less the full million, but he would take her shopping afterwards, as he still wasn’t sure what she would be able to take with her.

 After a quick shower, and a change of clothes, he faced the door, ready to embark on the journey that would change his life in more ways than he could know. He reviewed one more time in his head which train he would be taking to get to Chiba, and set out.

Chapter Text

Ryou felt his heart trying to make its way through his ribcage as he rode on the train that would take him to see Chigusa. He checked his phone again impatiently to see that only a minute had passed since the last time he had checked it. His mind ran amuck with concerns. He envisioned every possible scenario that he could think of and he was worried that this could only end in disaster.

But then he remembered who he was dealing with. After all, he had gotten to know her almost intimately the past year, including peering inside her memories. He knew what lingered in her heart, and how good of a person she truly was.

But at the same time he also knew himself, and no matter how much maturing he did over the past year, he still knew he was, as she once put it “easily misunderstood by others, and not at all honest. And he had a mean mouth and a bad attitude. Oh and his eyes looked kind of mean too.” He smirked at the memory and brushed his hand through his thick hair.

“Jeez, why am I so nervous? It’s not like she’s gonna be different offline or anything.” He crossed his arms and fumed out loud, causing some of the passengers to look over at him, some with looks of amusement, and some of annoyance. He quickly realized he was drawing attention to himself and tried to shrink as best as he could. He sighed and glanced out the window to see the Chiba prefecture, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he was in the city of Chiba.

That thought only made his heart beat harder. He decided to distract himself by opening up the guild management app he had installed on his phone. It was a nifty little app that CC Corp developed to help guild leaders manage their communities, even when offline. He scrolled through the list to see who was online, and tried to familiarize himself with the names of some of the new members.

His right hand man was of course online, so he decided to send the blade brandier a message, and check up on the happenings of Canard. Anything to calm him down enough to meet the player behind Atoli. The same girl that whether he knew it or not was harboring feelings for.

00---00--0-000-----0-0

Walking around the empty void, Kite tried to find an exit, but couldn’t find any. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. His first instinct, of course, was to gate hack. Problem was, there was no gate to hack, and he was sure he didn’t have any virus cores to do so. Crossing his arms, he decided to check his skill list and see if he had anything that could help.

At a single glance he realized that he only had 2. Good old staccato, and Gale Blade, which he wasn’t familiar with yet. He was level 1 which meant he didn’t have a whole lot to work with, but it somewhat excited him. Moving onto spells, he was pleased to see that they were still using Repth, but otherwise nothing else.

“Oh please tell me I have a sprite ocarina in here…” mumbled the twin blade moving onto his items. “No dice huh?” He groaned and sat on the ground crossing his legs. “How am I supposed to get out of here then?” He closed his eyes and tried to think of a way out of the situation, though after 10 minutes he realized this was a mute point.

“What I wouldn’t give just to see Mac Anu right now.” The twin blade closed his eyes and thought of the screen shots he saw of the new version of the beginning Root Town he enjoyed spending time at. At that moment, he felt something tug at him, and his eyes shot open.

His entire body was wreathed in an azure flame. He resisted the urge to stop drop and roll when he saw that his HP wasn’t decreasing in any way. “What is this?” He asked no one in particular before his being was pulled into a small fireball. It disappeared into the air and began to travel at high speeds through the data.

He saw streams of code whiz by him for a while before all movement stopped and the small ball of azure flame exploded, giving him his form again as he gently hovered to the ground. “Well… that’s certainly new.” He said meekly, before glancing at what looked like a Chaos Gate.

“Yeah! Talk about a flashy entrance.” A woman approached him with her hands on her hips, and smiled widely at him. “Been a while hasn’t it Kite?” His heart warmed a little and he couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. “It really has… BlackRose.”

She stood next to him, and looked him in the eye. Her character model was taller than his, much to her delight. “Still it was surprising to see you in the same old outfit. I thought those character models were gone when R2 hit.” He scratched his cheek with his index finger and said “It’s… a long story. What about you though? I like the changes you made.”

She smiled and showed off her character with a twirl. Her outfit for R2 kept her black tights with rose thorns crawling up the sides, but with a set of black and red greaves, one with a small healthy flower on her shin, the other one with a wilting flower. They were both carved into the armor instead of painted. She wore on her hips a short leather battle skort with a dark tan color. Her belly was exposed, but starting at her ribs she wore something of a metal corset with the same crawling rose thorns which covered her breasts, but left some cleavage exposed. Attached to her arms were some leather vambraces, and finally she had some leather fingerless gloves. Her hair was still pink, but was a little longer, now reaching her shoulders.

“I’m rather satisfied with it.” She commented smiling. “So, what should we do now?” She asked, leaning against him comfortably. “Well… how about for now, we just go out and enjoy this game for a bit?” He suggested with a grin. “Besides, the sooner we learn the faster we can help.”

“Oh! Are you guys new players?” a voice rang out as a young looking boy with a green motif and a ponytail approached them. “If you’d like, I can show you the ins and outs of this game.”

000--00--0000--0

“Why does it want me to run across a lake?!” Ryou screamed at no one in particular. His mobile device wasn’t exactly giving the best of directions as he was trying to make his way to Chigusa’s house. He closed the app and reopened it before putting the address back in. After a short wait, it said that he was just a left turn away from her place.

Sighing, he made his way. The butterflies in his stomach were now a ravenous swarm. Her house came into view, and it was a surprise for him. It was a nice looking house, on the smaller side. It had a more American feel to it, middle class family in the suburbs. There were some stone steps leading to the door. The house was painted burgundy.

He hesitantly reached out and knocked on the front door. He rehearsed what he was going to say in his head over and over again before the front door opened. A middle aged woman stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. She had a scowl on her face that really brought out the wrinkles around her mouth, and the classic I-want-to-see-the-manager haircut. She was wearing a really modest dress that was very old fashioned.

“What do you want?” She asked rather coldly. Channeling his customer service skills he straightened his spine and said as politely as he could. “Hello ma'am, I am here to get Chigusa. Is she available?” She huffed and turned away before shouting into the house, “Honey the trash collector is here!” He was initially confused, then the realization set in. His fists clenched in anger, knuckles turning white.

A man with the same scowl appeared at the doorway. His hair was graying, but he was otherwise clean shaven. He was wearing a checkered blue button up and khaki slacks. He was carrying in his calloused hands some purple luggage and a duffle bag set, which he practically threw at Ryou.

Reacting fast, he caught the luggage and steadied it on the ground. He struggled to remain calm and composed. After all, these were her parents. The same parents that we're kicking her out for being such a “disgrace”. Emotions were fluctuating within him, not wanting to burn the bridge between them and her, and at the same time wanting to murder them for putting their daughter through this.

The door slammed shut for a few minutes, as yelling started to erupt from the house. He couldn't hear all of it, but he definitely heard “Slut” and “prostitute” being thrown around. His teeth grit as the sounds came closer and clearer. The insults were practically spat in disgust when the door was flung open, giving him full view of the woman now red in the face.

“And as far as your father and I are concerned, we no longer have a daughter. If you ever dare contact us again, I will press charges. Now get out of my sight!” A young girl with straw colored hair was forcefully ejected from the house. She looked up at the boy after nearly losing her footing the door slamming forcefully behind her.

Her eyes were swollen and puffy, hiding the emerald gems underneath. She was wearing a black school uniform with a jacket. The girl brought her arms to her body out of habit, almost as if she was holding herself steady, while her lip began to quiver and tears made their way down her cheeks. It was all that she could do to keep herself from falling apart, and Ryou wanted nothing more than to burst through that door and tell them all off, but his top priority was Chigusa.

Without thinking or asking, he grabbed the luggage that was previously hurled at him and turned to her “Come on, let’s go find some place to sit for a few.” She let out a soft whimper before nodding and stepping over to him. The young man took her hand into his own without thought and led her to a nearby vending machine with a bench next to it, gesturing for her to sit down. She, like an empty puppet on strings staring at the ground, took a seat, wrapping her arms around herself again. He went to the machine and started to put some yen into it for some drinks, calming down a little now that they were away from the scum that were Chigusa’s parents. Selecting a nice tea for her, and a cola for himself, he returned to the bench and plopped down next to her, handing her the cold beverage. “Here. Drink this.” Looking at him, she took the drink into her hands and brought it into her lap, staring at it silently.

Ryou didn’t know what he could say in a situation like this. He had his own parental issues to be sure, but nothing like this. He opened his drink and took a few sips from it and decided to act as nonchalant as possible, not wanting to be the first one to say something. He stole occasional glances at her, watching her trace the rim of the can with the tips of her thumbs. He was able to get a better look at her, and in his opinion, she was absolutely stunning. It took all of his willpower to not just stare at her. Besides, right now wasn’t the best time to let his feelings for her flare up. He took another sip and glanced at her luggage. Besides it being very little, he felt like something was missing from the picture. A wave of realization hit him like a truck.

“Atoli…” He said not realizing he just used her screen name instead of her real one. “Where are your birds?” He asked this in a way that was barely concealing his growing wrath. The girl in response flinched like someone had driven a dagger straight into her heart. Droplets of water began to fall onto the unopened can as her body began to quiver again. There was no need for her to say anything, he knew what happened. Dropping the tough guy act, he wrapped an arm around her and she dove her face into his chest. The sounds of her letting out all of her pain and anguish echoed through the empty park, striking chords in his heart. He let her stay like that and stroked her hair softly, trying his best to soothe her.

0- —000—-00000-0

“Rengeki! Gale Blade!” Screamed the teal haired twin blade, unleashing a devastating combo on a goblin. “Yes! Just like that! You guys catch on quickly!”

Kite had to admit… the combat in this game was a much faster pace than in R1, and he was enjoying every second of it. Silabus, the person that decided to help them out, was an excellent teacher. He was apparently a leader of a guild dedicated to helping newer players, and seemed to have a lot of experience teaching others.

“Hey hey hey! Don’t steal all the spotlight!” His partner said charging in to unleash her own skill. “Tiger Blitz!” She brought her sword down on the next goblin, and then brought it back up in a V shape dealing massive damage to both her foe and the ground underneath it.

The green haired Blade Brandier gave an applause as the combat finished. “You guys are naturals at this. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you guys were smurfing.” Kite sheathed his blades and gave a puzzled expression. “Smurfing? What’s that?” He felt more and more out of touch as he played. So many terminologies and expressions that he had never heard before made him realize just how much time had passed since he last played a game like this.

“Smurfs” Silabus began to explain, “are players who have another character that’s much stronger than the one they’re playing. They pretend to be new at the game so they can PK other players. It’s a tactic that’s quickly picking up popularity with PK’s to try to avoid PKKers.” Nodding in understandment, Kite said “There wasn’t this much of a PvP problem in the R1, you had your occasional PKers, but nothing like this.” He brought his hands behind his head and lazily kicked the dirt. This evoked a look of surprise from their mentor.

“You played R1?” Kite clammed up at this, not wanting to reveal too much information about who they were, however BlackRose wanted to take the opportunity to boast just a bit. “Oh sure, we were pretty deep into that game during its prime. Not to brag or anything but we were pretty strong. With all of our experience, we’ll probably become the best players in this game before too much longer” She puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips as if to say ‘Tell me about how amazing I am’. Kite let out an exasperated laugh scratching his cheek.

Silabus grinned and crossed his arms “Well I like your enthusiasm. Why don’t you show me some of that strength when we fight the boss. Then we can get the treasure from the Beast Statue and head back to town. The girl pumped her fist into the air and marched off towards the next mob pack. “Alright! I’m all fired up to clear this dungeon!”

The Twin Blade stared at his girlfriend, noting how easily she was able to just jump back into the thick of it. As much fun as he was having with the new systems however, he was still finding it hard to adjust, and more so to shake the feeling of dread that was looming in his heart. Despite agreeing to help, he still had reservations about the whole thing. He had a good life now and didn’t want that taken away. This would be dangerous no matter how one looked at it, and he was having doubts. The Edge Punisher looked behind her and yelled out “Hurry up slowpoke! Or else we’ll take all the EXP and leave you behind” Kite snapped out of his stupor and rushed towards them.

0000 — 00 —-00000–0

Chigusa’s sobs were petering out into sniffles and occasional tremblings. Yet, she did not leave the warmth of Ryou’s chest. The boy bit his lip, knowing that they would need to leave soon, and patted the girl on her back. “Hey, we need to catch a train to get back to Tokyo. It’s going to be a long ride.” She nodded and pulled her head away, but kept her grip on his shirt. He looked into her eyes, and gave her a reassuring nod. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

There was one thing that Chigusa knew for certain, and that was Haseo never went back on his word. She released her grip on him, leaving noticeable wrinkles in his shirt as well as a damp spot in the middle. “I’m sorry…” She managed to say softly. Ryou smiled softly and gingerly brought his hand down on her head in a chop. “Idiot… you have nothing to apologize for.” He stood and grabbed her things, slinging the duffel bag around his shoulder and pulling out the handle for the rolling luggage. The girl stood and glanced at the tea that she had all but tossed aside when she buried her head into his chest and picked it back up.

The walk to the station was uncomfortably quiet, both of them unsure of what to talk about, or what to say to each other. The only noise that greeted their ears was the wheels rolling across the concrete below them, and the sounds of the train approaching the station. Using his pass twice, they boarded the train and took some seats for the almost 3 hour ride back to Tokyo. He knew that they couldn’t sit in silence the entire time so he tried to strike up conversation and distract her from what she was going through.

“Did you see that they announced a new guild raid? It’s supposed to be about something with that giant gun you were telling me about when you first invited me to an Area.” He felt pretty awkward talking about The World in public like this, but it was for her. “Apparently, they’re gearing up for some big expansion,” he continued. This caught her attention and she perked up a bit.

“Really? It might be fun to go do that with everyone… but… I don’t have my gear.” The boy smiled and said “I figured that might have been the case so I replaced it.” She was about to protest when he cut her off, “and I don’t want to hear anything about it other than “Yes Haseo, I would love to heal this raid because I’m a valued and treasured member of Canard” “ He said that last part in a higher pitch trying to imitate her poorly. For the first time since he saw her, she smiled, and then began to laugh softly.

“Is that how I sound to you?” She asked in a tone that could only be described as fake offended. He pressed further and gently nudged her shoulder replying in the same tone “Whatever do you mean?” This garnered further laughter from her, filling the empty train.

This is what he wanted to see. She was much cuter with a smile on her face. And he was going to do everything that he could to make sure that smile never vanished again.