Θ Heartless Destiny's Dagger, Haseo, Invite

[Shino]

Of all the things she did not and would not know, Shino could content herself in the fact that it was quite a lovely night. The location she stumbled upon was an interesting one, nothing like what she normally expected from The World. Shino let her gentle eyes gaze up to the starry sky as she reminded herself she was no longer within the bounds of The World. How it happened was a mystery still, but she tried not to let it overwhelm her for the moment. It did not take long for Shino to decide she wished for a place to rest before thinking too hard on anything more, so the girl pressed on.

Shino was not sure how long she had spent in the forest, perhaps quite a short time, but it was made to feel much longer with all of those creatures getting in her way. In that aspect it was no different than The World, so she supposed she was thankful she was somehow trapped within her character. Without the magic that she had in the game she would have been murdered by now many times over. It was still odd to her that she did not have all of the skills she used to though, and she realized she felt as if she was at level one once more.

A cool breeze brought her focus back into the present causing Shino to notice the trees were thinning out. Ah, then maybe I'm reaching the end, Shino thought with a hopeful glance. The girl still held her Enchanted Staff at the ready, though she partially did as much because she no longer had the ability to summon it at will anymore as she used to in-game, as she proceeded in case there were any more enemies lurking beyond the forest. Instead of being faced with foes though Shino found herself at the gate to what could only be a grand castle. The gates were open?

Hesitation was her first response, something that faded rather quickly as she noted just how inviting it looked beyond the gates. Without fully realizing she had already begun to walk forth, Shino silently noted how beautiful the courtyard in front of her was. The soft silver moonlight reflected off a small but sprawling pool. Shino could make out the castle beyond the courtyard and it was truly grand- a towering white presence that seemed to radiate pureness. There was something truly beautiful about the place, but she didn't believe she'd go in. She already felt somewhat as if she was invading, so she would remain outside.

Cautiously, as if she might shatter the world around her with a single touch, Shino set her staff on the lip of the pool in the center of the courtyard. Since she somehow broke free of The World and remained tangled in her character she felt as if everything might fall apart with the wrong move so she was much more slow and calculated about her actions. What was perhaps most surprising to Shino though was the fact that she wasn't being completely overwhelmed by her depressions. In this world it wasn't as if she had anyone she needed to keep a strong face for, so how she was still standing was a mystery even to her.

Shino's pale gray eyes drifted to the reflected moon and she slowly settled in next to the waters. Something of the way the water would reflect a full image when it was still made Shino want to reevaluate how she thought of herself. Since she was now operating under a new appearance, one which she herself picked, she supposed she could be whatever it was she really wanted. Many people would kill to take on an appearance they created with their own hands, if only not to be themselves anymore. The girl leaned over the water a little more to take in her face still feeling it was so foreign.

"I wonder what I was thinking," The girl softly muttered to herself as a hand came up to trace the tear drop on her cheek. To now know that the simple character decoration was effectively a tattoo was another odd experience for the girl. What Shino didn't want to think about was how having her in-game appearance made her on-edge. If she was as her character appeared then that meant there was the possibility other characters would be wherever she was as well.

Many people she would not mind seeing- Like Tabby or Ovan whom she still worried for greatly. Haseo. The name ran through her mind a few times and she bit her lip lightly. All she could remember was that he had fallen in love with someone else and it made her heart sink. Did Shino love him? It wasn't a question she was sure about. And since she couldn't answer it she was the one who did not deserve him, that was why she had gone to the Cathedral to speak with him---

The girl closed her eyes and winced slightly when the memory rushed back to her. It was as if she was drawn into some kind of horrifying glitch and all of the things she wanted to say to Haseo were wasted among frantic static noises. Shino took a labored breath and smoothed out her expression just in case anyone was near. "I was watching all along," The girl muttered softly to herself as she traced a finger lightly over the water.

Watching ripples disturb the otherwise peaceful scene felt somewhat relaxing.

Words: 929
Total Exp: 929

[Haseo]

This world hopping thing was getting on his nerves. Everytime he did it he ended up on another world. Everytime he did it, he ended up meeting some person that he didn't know and usually didn't care to know. He wasn't getting anywhere in his search for finding out just what the hell was going on. What made it worse was that on this world there were rabid, bloodthirsty wolves. Whose blood were they thirsty for? At this point he was starting to assume that it was his and his alone. They swarmed in in packs, gnashing fangs and sharp claws tearing through flesh and scraping across the leather armor that hugged the upper half of his torso. "Get lost, you damn dogs!" he yelled.

With each wolf that came, he gave a quick swipe of his twin swords. With each swipe of his twin swords, another wolf went down, deep cuts mostly in their necks, heads, and mouths. These creatures were nothing compared to what they were in The World. They were a cake walk, though he was beginning to think that all the damage he was doing wasn't yielding much reward. He was getting hurt pretty badly-- far more than he was defeating them. He certainly didn't feel any stronger from defeating them. He was clearly no longer in The World. That much was clear to him now. He wouldn't get "experience points" for defeating these damn things. He would just get more exhausted by exerting force. Maybe all he could do was run if he wanted to get out alive. But he'd be damned if he let himself do that. He was pissed off. He had not had a good fight in a while and he was scrapping for one. Fighting off these piles of garbage were a good stress release, he needed it more than anything. When he was fighting...all his troubles seemed to be put on the back burner.

All that mattered was survival.

All that mattered...was that he lived.

He had to live until he found all of his friends, until he figured out that they were alright. He had to make sure that...Shino was back. That she was up and around, healthy. His eyes narrowed as he sliced through the jaw of the last wolf, the creature's blood splattering across his face and he cringed inwardly at the feeling of death. Looking down at his weapons, the teeth of the small chainswords covered in blood and pieces of bone. He knew he wouldn't have to clean it up...but he almost felt obligated to. As soon as he sent them back to that dimensional pocket...well...they'd get themselves cleaned off. In The World, he hadn't had to worry about such a thing. He was also appalled by just how it felt to kill another living creature with his own bare hands. He looked down at the blood-stained gloves that he wore and he frowned. Countless people had been taken down by these hands...he had never kept count. He was sure someone out there had attempted it, but even then they would not have been able to understand why he was fighting. Why he was killing the Player Killers.

It was all for her. All for Shino. Now he was fighting off real ravenous wolves. Fending them off so that his very life would be protected. It was exhilirating...and frightening all at the same time. For over eight months after Shino had fallen into a coma he had fought thousands of people looking for Tri-Edge...the one who had put her in that state. Now that he was back to this level of power, he had seen all the events reverse themselves. His life seemed to always be in a perpetual rewind. First he had been leveled down by Azure Kite...then he had been suddenly tossed back in time after everything had started to seem right. Everything felt like it was starting to come back together. He couldn't stand it anymore.

Now, finally able to focus on his surroundings as opposed to worrying about which body part the wolves were going to try to take a chunk out of next, he looked around slowly. Not too far from where he was, he saw a massive castle. There, he could take refuge. But...another castle? He scowled a bit and sighed, bringing a hand up to rub his neck but stopped. He didn't want to get even more blood all over himself. Maybe they would have some kind of faucet or a pond or something where he could wash off all of the blood covering him. When he arrived at the large gates, the entryway into the castle, he halted. His crimson eyes gazed upon the half opened doors...as though someone had recently passed through them. Certainly if it was an occupied castle they would have closed the doors and there would be people watching the gates. His eyes shifted to the seemingly empty guard posts and he hummed in irritation. He would have to proceed with caution, it seemed.

He walked through the doors, placing a hand on the door's edge and peeking around it. Within there was a small spring...and a familiar figure sitting next to it. A feeling clutched at his chest and he stared at her as she seemed to be just settling down next to it. He felt a lump in his throat and he took a couple steps forward. "Shi...no...?" he whispered to himself, clearly too far away for the figure to hear him. Tears of relief filled his eyes and his muscles tightened, he almost felt weak to the knees. Was it really her? Was she really okay?

He started to run. His footsteps were quick and light and as he drew closer...he heard her say something. What she said caused his eyes to widen and a sharp pain to run through his stomach. Worry struck him like a sledgehammer as though he were nothing but a window. Gritting his teeth, he noted the sad tone to her voice and his eyes softened. "Heh...so you saw me helping that hopeless girl, huh?" Haseo said.

The Terror of Death strode forward. His heart was beating in his chest as he got closer to the edge of the water and he kneeled down next to it. Dunking his fingers in, the boy started rinsing his hands of any blood before cupping his hands to splash water upon his face. The cold liquid stung for only a moment before he opened his eyes halfway, the blood gone from his features. "I think...I saved The World...not just her...not just you..." he said. Haseo flopped back onto his rump and looked down at his hands, which clutched some of the grass between his legs tightly.

"But...I wasn't doing it to save The World...or even to help anyone. I didn't give a damn about all of that...I did it..."

He frowned, swallowing hard and opening his mouth but no words would come out. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his fingers into tightly balled fists. "I...did it for you, Shino..." Haseo said, his eyes turning to look at her sadly. The beautiful face of the girl he had grown so close to...the only girl in The World that he had met in real life. A sad smile spread across his lips and he chuckled helplessly to himself.

"Ever since...that anomaly happened back at the Cathedral...I got reduced back to level one. I've been to multiple worlds...met different people...but this isn't a game anymore, Shino...it's as real as these damn scratches I have from those wolves out there... And I was so scared..." He tore his eyes away from her reluctantly, afraid that if he looked away she would disappear...like a mirage. He stared up at the sky and frowned, his heart sinking.

She had seen everything, huh? She had probably assumed...that he had fallen for another girl. That Atoli was his new "crush" or whatever she wanted to call it. There had always been speculation on the Terror of Death's choice of women. There had always been rumors. He hated rumors. He had read that he was fighting for his girlfriend, who had become a Lost One. It wasn't far off, he supposed...but Shino wasn't his girlfriend. He wasn't the kind of guy who would make up excuses. He had failed to protect her from Tri-Edge...from Ovan...and because of that she had fallen into a coma and he had spent nearly a year trying to figure out a way to get her back. Here she was though...but...would she ever feel the same way about him again?

He looked away from her, frowning.

"Scared...that I'd lost you again..."

It was just a faint whisper on the night breeze.
---
Words: 1443
Experience: 1443

[Shino]

For a moment she swore she saw something in the waters that caused her to tense greatly, but the image distorted when her hand shook and suddenly pulled back. It was a deceptive glance, Shino tried to tell herself, because the moonlight was shedding silver light that she could easily mistake that for silver hair. There was simply no way he was there just as she was thinking about him- her heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice. It only served to further twist her up inside to hear the way he replied to her soft words from just a moment ago.

Hopeless girl. Shino's gaze lifted from the waters to catch Haseo as he moved, for a moment she likened him to a ghost that was haunting her. The blood staining his game avatar only lent itself to the feelings she was experiencing. It was mesmerizing to watch Haseo clean off the blood, partially because she hadn't much thought of it as that real- probably because she was a ranged magic fighter who never really had to dirty her hands like Haseo had to. No matter though, she told herself, because now that he was there she had something she needed to tell him.

In the short pause between Haseo muttering of the hopeless girl and what he would say next, Shino felt as if she could live a lifetime. The girl's mind was racing and her heart was fluttering to and fro, but she still couldn't bring herself to speak yet. Now tainted by blood, Shino found she couldn't even look into the water any longer. All that she could do was think intensely on what it was that Haseo was saying to her and that of course was the last thing she really wanted to do. The girl could not help but change her focus to Haseo and the struggled expressions he went through as he communicated.

The way that the young man hesitated before he said did it for you sent a terrible ache through Shino's heart. Hesitation usually meant someone didn't exactly mean what they said though and it wasn't as if Shino needed any extra reasons not to allow herself to get close to others. She had seen the cause of her coma, by a friend's hand, and then she had to watch as a person she secretly cared for fell in love with another girl. Atoli. That girl seemed sweet enough if not naive. And then Haseo said something that she could have never expected to hear from him- He was scared? For a short moment she thought he said said more, catching his eyes before he looked away with a frown. If he had indeed said something more she did not hear it, but she supposed whatever it was it probably wouldn't have changed how she felt any.

"Saved The World..." Shino started somewhat softly, her voice very unrevealing,"Well I suppose I can understand that... There was much that Ovan knew needed to be overcome and you were the person he thought could do it. He was right of course." Shino's hands found their way to her Enchanted Staff and she traced it's figure while wondering if she was strong enough on her own. There was so much more to say, her mind screamed in agony at the thoughts she had been gathering since she last looked at Haseo. "But I'm not really sure that's the point at the moment." Shino's eyes glazed over slightly while she gathered the resolve she would need.

"You did some amazing things, Haseo. You've matured and become a very strong person. What Ovan did... What you did... You both had your reasons," She wasn't sure how to express what she was feeling so she took a quiet moment look directly at Haseo. "I got to see so much. A lot of things I probably shouldn't have seen. But I know something new from it. You have friends who you can count on and that girl, Atoli." Things were becoming more drawn out than she had intended them to be, so to stop herself from rambling she stood and turned her back on Haseo, looking up to the stars instead.

"The truth is... I want you to be happy Haseo," A sincere but pained smile haunted her lips. "I saw you happy with those people you've met since I... Maybe I can accept that you started your journey to help me, but I don't believe you finished it that way. And that's fine." All that the girl could think as she spoke was 'Why can't you just tell him you don't like him? That you just want him to be with her? Flushed and full of conflicting emotions, Shino fell silent. Would Haseo be angry with her for saying that to him? Either way she couldn't imagine looking into his eyes in that moment.

Probably what ached more than anything to the girl was that she was craving a connection with him and she knew she couldn't allow herself anything like that. Shino's desire never to lose anyone near to her again could only be solved by not allowing herself to get close, that was how she had viewed it. For a moment she felt like if Haseo were only to hold her she would melt away to nothing and her resolve would have shattered. "You're right about one thing though. This isn't a game and even though you're back where you started... I know that you're the person who can get through it." Even if I am not, Shino thought to herself.

"I don't believe you should worry about me anymore, Haseo. You have better things to do than just search for me or protect me from this new world. Friends should be your first priority. Your great new friends." Shino wasn't sure if she had said that with notes of pain or not she her head was already swimming. What perhaps felt the worse in the entire situation was that she felt like she might lose her balance at any moment and come crashing to the ground. The blood and sudden imposing reality threatened to overwhelm.

Words: 1033
Exp: 1962

[Azure Kite]

Never did The World feel so fake.

An artificial heel met the organic grass and it felt so disgusting. A lone Knight traveled in a place he knew wasn’t home, a place he knew was far from home. Far in terms of distance, time, and composition. The World he knew and thrived in was a palace in comparison to this horrid slum. Even Net Slum, the dingiest place in The World, known for its failures and rejects, wasn’t as wretched to be in as this forsaken place.

The World never felt so fake because it was the realest thing he knew. Unlike players of The World, he originated from the very place they sought an escape. He couldn’t blame them. Never would he want to escape.

So what brought him here?

“Tttttttt…” It was a test to discover what his tongue had been reprogrammed to produce. Curious if he now spoke a language he’d never learned, the Azure Knight parted his lips again, “Hhhhhhh0w rir (. ; . ttttttt!” Yes, part of his speech was compromised. He spoke more like… them.

But why?

His figure, poised with upset, tensed and boiled.

Aura – Aura, why did you do this? Why did you take me from your haven and from my duties? Have I gone astray? Did I betray you? Your commands – your purpose for allowing me to live? What is this punishment you bring upon me by abducting me from the land I know of vast ones and zeroes, only to drop me in a land with a different language? This place knows not of the binary, and knows only the alien and artificial.

Why?

In a rage, Kite dug his feet in the soil for good ground to leap from, propelling himself through the air he found so hard to breath and toward a lone maple.

Why, Aura?

He slashed it in two.

Why?

Wide, unearthly eyes widened in awe as the crack of the trunk shrieked late and, instead of shattering into fragments of color to disappear, slipped and tipped until the weight of it was too much for it to stay together. It crashed down, and his chest heaved.

One.

Two.

Three breaths, and he sprang again. Confusion had him by the throat and drove him insane.

Aura, tell me. What is it that I have done you wrong with? Where did I fail? Was it only me, or are my brothers met with the same, sick fate? Aura, explain. Despite my force, I plead to you. I plead to you, Aura, and I beg to at least know what I have done wrong. Let me know, so I may fix this. Let me know so I may fulfill my duty to you as an Azure Knight. Let me know, so I can see again and not witness this nightmare.

Take me back.

It was true, the world he saw before him clawed at his eyes and haunted his thoughts because he just was incapable of reading it as he did the terrain of The World. He just didn’t understand this place – everything in it, though absolutely harmless despite his adventurous imagination, seemed a threat. Despite that he sensed not a single infec—

There’s something here.

It stunk of something putrid. It brought a creeping, pleased, but twisted grin to that crestfallen face. Was this Aura’s reasoning? Was this foul, yet beautifully familiar stench why he was brought here? On the very tips of his toes, he sprinted to where the faintest trace of code – a virus – seemed to be. Fierce heels clacked at a gross speed across a paved surface, leading to gates ajar just beckoning him forth.

But he stopped abruptly in the frame of that gate.

“Ffffffttttftffftttttfffffff... ”

It was him.

“Hhhhhhh – hhhhwwwawaawaaasssseseseeeeoo0o0oo0o0000…” he breathed, his tongue fighting against the language of this world. The girl aside Haseo caught his attention within his periphery, but never did those yellow eyes leave the one whose form was still laced ever-so-slightly, ever-so-deliciously, with that familiar aura.

He wasn’t in the right state to do anything about this problem now. Still he was confused, and still he was angry. With nothing more than a slow step back, the Knight widened his eyes and sped off back the way he came. Back, into the forest he ran.

He was running so fast, for a moment his eyes tricked him into seeing The World. The brush and the night might have conquered the dominance of those yellow eyes to paint them green.

He was blinded.

And somewhere in the brush, he was gone.

###: 771

[Haseo]

Why did he have to be so terrible with conversation? He felt like no matter what he said he would just sound like some kind of idiot. As he listened to Shino speak, he couldn't help but feel relieved that it really was her voice. That it really was her here with him. Despite the fact that she seemed...sad? His crimson eyes gazed upon her with the adoration that he once showed to her before. He, of course, still adored the girl. The boy wanted nothing more than to make Shino happy. "Not like I wanted to be the one that "could do it"." Haseo muttered a bit spitefully.

He hadn't wanted to help The World in any way. Screw them! They had treated him like dirt the moment he had stepped into the game! The amount of people who were rude and thoughtless far outweighed the helpful people and anyone worth sticking around for didn't stick around for very long. Even if they did, had it really been worth it to stick to his guns and keep playing? In the end, when he asked himself this question, it was yes. Before everything had happened, he had done everything for Shino. He had progressed in levels, had gone through the upgrade process that Adept Rogues were supposed to go through, and had even destroyed the "lives" of many Player Killers whenever he got the chance. It was all because he had been searching for Tri-Edge. And he had not even been the one that had killed Shino, it had seemed he had been framed at the time. Which pissed him off even more!

When Shino said that he had matured and become strong, he couldn't hold back a bit of a blush at the compliment and look off to the side, slightly embarassed. Though this expression quickly faded as soon as she said the next thing, his heart sinking into his stomach as he bit his lower lip a bit, continuing to look off to the side. The realization of why the girl seemed sad sinking in, biting into his chest. The painful bite of realizing that he had made Shino feel as though he had moved on...when a large amount of the reason he had been fighting was for her. For all of the Lost Ones. His lips twitched into a bit of a frown and as the girl spoke he found himself growing a bit irritated. She seemed like she wasn't being herself...she truly did feel as though he abandoned her and that probably hurt him more than anything.

"Idiot..." Haseo muttered, "How can I be happy without you?"

His gaze turned from the water to gaze upon Shino with a frown, his eyes full of frustration. "Yeah, I made some friends...and if you think you aren't gonna be a part of this new group, you can think again. Screw that, you're gonna have to deal with them just like I had to! Now get up and stop moping!" he appeared angry...but soon a smirk pulled at one corner of his lips as he looked down at her, holding his hand up to her. "Dealing with all of those morons myself is too much of a pain to deal with. I need someone, preferably someone who I can tolerate more easily, to help me deal with them. You think you can't be a part of my new friends? Screw that! You're my friend and we'll always be..." he trailed off.

He didn't wanna finish the sentence. He didn't want to put himself in the friend zone. Not with her. She had been someone he had adored and wanted to get closer to ever since he met her. From the first time in The World to the first time in the real world, Haseo knew he would want to stick close to Shino. He had visited her in the hospital on multiple occasions, almost everyday after school! Then he'd go home, log into The World and start his quest to get her out of the comatose state. He'd be damned if he let her go now over something so stupid as her thinking he fell for someone like Atoli or thinking she didn't belong with his new group of friends. "Let's just say I want you to stick around, alright? You really gonna leave me hanging?"

“Hhhhhhh – hhhhwwwawaawaaasssseseseeeeoo0o0oo0o0000…”

He froze.

It was faint...he could hear it just barely. It was a familiar sound. He pulled his hand away before Shino could grab onto it and he instead took a more defensive stance behind her, looking around alertly. Haseo's heart raced within his chest as his dark red eyes scanned the area, seeing a shadow dart behind the large doors and gritting his teeth slightly. Azure Kite...the AI that he had thought was Tri-Edge... but what the hell was it doing here? It didn't seem to want to bother him at this moment...and he was certainly glad for that. Slowly, he relaxed when he realized that the...thing had gone from sight. "So...he's here too..." Haseo said quietly, narrowing his eyes and clenching his hands into tightly balled fists.
---
Words: 853
Experience: 2296

[Shino]

Shino could have almost laughed hearing Haseo's bitter little mention of not wanting to be the one to save The World. That was just like him- not wanting to concern himself with such things. It was a pain to make him do much of anything if he set his mind against it, so she thought maybe after a white he must have really wanted to be the one to save the world. There must have been some glory in it, some spoils, that really made things worth it. Shino wondered if this Haseo standing before her was anything like the one she had known so long ago since things had changed so much. It was almost as if she wanted him to just be a different person so her heart would stop aching to be with him.

All of the things that had happened burned brightly in her mind and over each moment she felt she needed to plaster some kind of false feeling. A reassurance to tell her that memory didn't make her feel what she thought it did. But in the end that fortitude to try and save herself was only paper-thin and the light of her true emotion shined through. All Shino could do was quiver and close her eyes to it even though she wasn't sure how long she could last that way. Out of everyone that had been fighting, for The World or otherwise, Shino was alone in her weakness and she didn't have even the strength she needed to continue.

The muttered idiot brought Shino's attention back to Haseo and she looked at him with a completely blank expression. Even though he asked how he could be happy without her she knew better than to answer- it didn't much matter that she had seen him looking to be happy without he anyway. All the young woman was left to wonder was why Haseo was being like this. Already set in her thoughts that he was now in love with that other girl she couldn't help but wonder if he just wanted her around as some kind of torture. Haseo may have been somewhat cold to people sometimes, but she knew he wasn't really that cruel. Shino scolded herself silently and tried to find peace by looking to Haseo and listening closely to what he had to say.

Everything was falling to turmoil in her heart and the anger was all she could process for a long few moments. Stop moping, Haseo had told her. It took everything in her power to keep from breaking down into tears in that moment- He could never understand what she was going through and she didn't want him to. Once Haseo offered his hand Shino felt her throat tighten with guilt, for she knew she could not accept it like this. The way he was speaking was obviously an attempt to lighten the mood, but there was so much being left unsaid and it was practically plastered all over their faces. This wasn't how Shino wanted their encounter to go, but there was no changing it now. When the young man couldn't finish his sentence she could feel her heart pulsating in her chest with a terrible fury though she wasn't sure why.

What was Haseo even trying to tell her? Shino waited in anticipation and tried to read the expression on his face with little in terms of result. It was surprising how much of a disappointment it was when he finished what he was trying to say. With a pained inward smile she wondered if she was waiting for him to say he wanted to be together and how she even would have responded to that. Haseo's heart was in someone else's hands though, that was what the young woman had to keep telling herself. If she kept getting her hopes up for something like that she was bound to end up drifting even further from Haseo and didn't she want to keep him in her life at least?

A steely resolve suddenly faltered and Shino was speaking before she could think better of it. "Haseo are you sure that you don't want something-" The girl stopped before she could say 'more' when Haseo's expression changed. Suddenly he looked like something terrible was happening and Shino wondered what she had missed. Something carrying on the breeze? The adept rogue took a defensive stance and suddenly Shino's hands wrapped around her weapon once more with a nervous energy hanging thick in the air. This world was so much different than the world, but the fighting instincts that Haseo had learned as the Terror of Death seemed to stick with him. At least if they found themselves in a fight now Haseo would be able to do most of the fighting while Shino could focus more on long-ranged attacks and healing. Fighting on her own had been a grueling experience and it wasn't exactly something she wanted to do again if she could help it.

It was in that moment that Shino realized, somewhat painfully, that she'd want to stick near Haseo for a while. Maybe she could just stay with him until she found her own path in this new world because she knew how much it would hurt to constantly be by his side. Watching someone she cared for in almost an entirely new life with new people... Her heart ached just thinking about it. But those concerns weren't as immediate as attending to what Haseo had gone on-edge for. "What did you hear?" Shino's soft voice was calm and collected as she tried not to disturb Haseo. If there was something out there he was trying to focus on she didn't want to detract his attention from it. Seeing Haseo completely tense up slightly unnerved Shino because there were plenty of things he didn't so much as flinch at, but here he was with balled fists and a stern expression. "Are you alright, Haseo?"

Saying his name made her heart ache in the worst way.

Words: 1010
Total Exp: 2972

[Haseo]

His nerves were on edge, he felt sick to his stomach and his eyes were wide, staring at the gate as though expecting something to come forth. Something that he had lost to before but had beaten again later. Haseo wasn't confident that he could beat Azure Kite again...as he couldn't feel Skeith within him. The call of the true Terror of Death was something that was gone to him...hopefully it would return someday. Whatever higher power existed only knew that he would need all the help he could muster when it came to fighting the thing that had turned back time against him. Shino had been cut off, clearly seeing that he was nervous...anxious. Haseo knew now that it had not been Azure Kite who had taken Shino from him but Ovan. That did not matter to him, he had still had to fight the bastard and he wouldn't let him get anywhere near Shino if he could help it. "Wh-what was that, Shino?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing as nothing came around the doorway. He slowly turned to face Shino, his heart still thumping in his chest and his hand being brought up to cover his lips, distracted by his thoughts of why that abomination would be here.

"I heard..." Haseo trailed off, sighing and turning to look over his shoulder, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down. Had he just been hearing things? Great, not only was he back to level one but he was beginning to go crazy as well. "I thought I heard Tri-Edge...but not Ovan. The virus infected AI known as Azure Kite. But...hnn...I...I guess I'm just hearing stuff." Haseo murmured, placing a hand on one of his forearms and glancing over his shoulder again, feeling rather uneasy now that he had heard that. But Shino hadn't heard it...so maybe he was just hearing things. A rather worried look came over his features at that thought. Could the transition from The World to real world have messed with his brain somehow? He wasn't in his body, after all. "Don't worry about me...I'm fine, Shino. What were you gonna say?" He asked, reaching his hand down to her once more and smiling warmly down at her.

There was no way he could say for sure if he actually was fine though. He knew what he had heard. That raspy voice, the distorted words and the echoing screech as though the creature's soul was dying. He knew, however, that it was not a creature with a soul at all, though. Azure Kite was an Artificial Intelligence, a vagrant AI at that. Character models that were stuck in The World. Though, this one seemed more like an antibody for the game, alongside his counterparts, Azure Balmung and Azure Orca. They were more akin to an antivirus than virus-infected Player Characters. Though they surely had powers that most players didn't have, and that was what made them dangerous. Plus the fact that they were unpredictable. They had all been hunting down Tri-Edge, Ovan, before even Haseo had been. "I think we should get out of here, Shino. There's no telling what'll pop up next. We can talk while we find a way out of this place." Haseo said, having calmed down quite a bit.

However, he was still rather unsettled. He had begun to think about what Shino had started to say. Was he sure that he didn't want something? He knew she had been cut off by his expression, by the sheer tension that he had felt weighing down on his shoulders in the process. What she was going to ask made him even more nervous. What she was going to ask made him wish Azure Kite had appeared. It was not as though the answer was "no". Not at all. In fact, Haseo had wanted something like that with Shino for a long while. Though...he felt as though she had never returned his feelings so he simply kept them inside. However...when she went into a coma only days after they had met in real life...he couldn't help but feel like he had to save her. Like doing it would bring her back and she would see him as a knight in shining armor. He had become the Terror of Death for her and had harnessed the power of the Epitaph in order to do it. Skeith, one of the strongest Avatars of the bunch had been the one under his control. Now, though, he could not feel Skeith within his core. That anxious feeling he had gotten in battles, like a ball rolling about within his gut. He could no longer feel that presence within him. "Hmph...it doesn't matter. I'll just have to protect Shino and anyone else I find along the way with my owns kills. Since I can't use Skeith anymore..." Haseo thought to himself, scowling a bit at the thought of being unable to use his Avatar.

Things were only going to get harder.
---
Words: 829
Experience: 3125

[Shino]

As soon as she was cut off Shino realized what she was about to say and it felt like her insides twisted in horror. Just the thought that she was going to ask Haseo if he wanted something more made her weak in the knees, but it was no time to stay down in the dirt like that. She tried with all of her might to keep her expression as inexpressive as possible but Shino knew there would be something there even if Haseo didn't know what it was exactly. There were parts of her that were too deeply conflicted to not express at least a little and that was what terrified her the most. If Shino were to break down now and tell him how she felt- it just didn't seem like it could have had any kind of long term positive outcomes. Oh but the things she would do for a moment in his embrace...

All she could think was that she desperately wanted to tell him that it was nothing when he first asked, but the words wouldn't form on her lips. Instead Shino remained silent and waited for Haseo to explain what was getting to him- something that sent a slight shiver down her spine when she heard it. Even though Azure Kite hadn't turned out to be the foe that Haseo had made him out to be it didn't change the fact that if he was here it meant trouble. As Shino understood it the Azure trio were AIs and if they were able to exist beyond the game then they might have some kind of terrible powers at their disposal. As a Harvest Cleric she had some limited skill, but the vagrant AIs seemed to have something much more expansive and alarming. Would an AI do good in the real world or something more twisted? The World R:1 had so many rumors of an AI named Aura trying desperately to break out of the game, but that was an impossible and ridiculous though to humor. Until now.

"Yeah maybe you were just hearing things," Shino finally uttered with an unconvincing nod. There really wasn't any questioning that he had heard something but now she could only assume it wasn't what he thought. A sway out there in the forest or maybe just some animal, those were the things that Shino wanted to think Haseo was hearing even if she had the worst feeling that it wasn't the case.There were a few other things she was tempted to ask him about since he had the most interaction with the AI but she was stopped by his voice and him looking down her to.

Nervously, trying not to start too long as Haseo's smile, Shino straightened herself and tried to glance around. If he was suggesting they get out of there then it might have meant he was trying to protect her from the thing he most certainly knew he heard. It got harder to try and think about it as anything but danger when Haseo reacted like that- it didn't actually matter that he was looking to her with a smile when he said they should move on. Just as there was something heavy on her heart it was painfully clear that there was something going on with Haseo that he felt he couldn't tell her. Ovan had always been there for her when she needed to talk and she had always been there for Haseo, but no they were both unable to express what they really thought and felt.

Again the girl thought about saying certain things that she knew would not come from her lips. The internal struggle was daunting and sometimes she swore she might split in two from it. "I'm not sure where we can go from here. We could venture towards the castle or we could go back towards the woods but... That's where the noise came from right?" More than anything she just didn't want to see anymore bloodshed, even if it was nothing more than wolves. Fighting those beasts reminded her that this was not a game and her heart was troubled enough at the moment.

"As for what I was saying earlier..." Shino started softly meekly stealing a glance at Haseo's face. Before she could even begin to think about the rest of what she wanted to say she couldn't help but think about their situation. The two had met in an online game with certain names and appearances, but it wasn't who they really were. Now they actually were Shino and Haseo and everything that they had felt for each other in the game was somehow all the more real for it. That wasn't to say that if they were to spend time together outside of the game they wouldn't have had real feelings for each other, but now Shino could reach out and touch Haseo's face or hold him. Still it was such a foolish thought for her to get wrapped up in, she scolded herself.

Now Shino knew she needed to reply and crush any hope of her and Haseo being together, but when she moved her lips to utter the words her voice disappeared. It was beginning to frustrate her to no end that she couldn't utter the things she knew she needed to. "It's nothing really. I think maybe just... feeling out of sorts because of the situation." One would have had to have been deaf to not hear the pathetic tones in her voice- the betrayal of her true feelings. After everything that she had seen she knew she would not change this feeling that it was too late. The Harvest Cleric's hand tightened around her Staff like maybe a healing spell could stop her heart from aching.

"Just like you told me not to worry about you, you shouldn't worry about me Haseo. How about you lead the way?" There was a slight pained smile slipping across her face as tears built up in her eyes. Now was no time to break down. Little beads of tears suddenly overflowed and slipped down her cheeks and she felt a blush overwhelm her, "I'm sorry, Haseo. I'm sorry." In all honesty Shino wasn't sure if she was apologizing for crying or apologizing for the true feelings she worried she might never be able to tell him. As she tried to look to Haseo with her watery eyes her expression seemed to beg for him to be her savior even if it was exactly what she was trying to prevent.

Words: 1097
Total Exp: 4069

[Haseo]

He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced over his shoulder again, looking to the gates and expecting anyone. anything to just stroll through. Had he really just heard it? Shino hadn't heard it...so maybe he was just hallucinating or something. He bit his lower lip nervously as he narrowed his crimson eyes upon the gates. However, Haseo was pretty sure that he could never mistake that voice. The voice distorted by static and sounding as though it was strained, trying so hard just to speak. A rather disturbed look filled his eyes and he frowned before he turned his head to once more gaze upon Shino as she told him their options for where they could possibly go. He looked down and slowly nodded, crossing his arms over his midriff and mulling it over. "Yeah...and I don't wanna put you in danger or something. So, I guess we're gonna try to explore the castle. Maybe if we stick around till morning it'll be a little less dangerous." the Adept Rogue said, glancing at the large castle. After all, killing crap in those woods was a little disturbing. His heart had been racing, his instincts constantly on edge. It was exhausting. Plus, the warmth of the blood that spattered across him when the teeth of his knives dug into the wolves...he wasn't used to that and he wasn't sure he ever would be.

As he waited for Shino's retelling of what she was going to say only moments ago, he stared at her intently. Her face seemed pained, almost as though she was struggling to hold something back. He felt a nervous knot wad up in his stomach as he furrowed his brow slightly. He wasn't sure what she wanted to say but it was clearly important to her own feelings, possibly even his own. Maybe that's why he felt even more nervous than he had before. Dealing with Tri-Edge again? That was all fine and dandy. Dealing with his own feelings and the feelings of someone he deeply cared for? Holy shit, get him out of there. So when she spoke up, he felt a little relieved but...at the same time disappointed. He frowned and a worried expression came from his features as he rubbed the side of his neck slowly, tilting his head, "Shino..."

She told him not to worry, just like he had told her not to. His stomach tightened even more and he looked down, gritting his teeth slightly and grimacing at himself. He was such an idiot. Haseo looked upon Shino's pained expression, as though her heart might shatter into a million pieces and once more he would be without her in his life. He didn't want that. He wanted her to remain with him for as long as she'd put up with him. His fingers clenched into a fist and they shook slightly as he looked down. "C-c'mon Shino, I'm a guy. We're not so great with our feelings and cra--" he saw the tears fall down her cheeks and he stopped instantly. Time seemed to slow down for him as he hesitated, his fists loosening and before he knew what he was doing he was moving toward Shino. It was his instinct, he assumed. As someone who cared dearly for Shino...as someone who wanted to be there for someone he had had a bit of a crush on since they had first met.

His hands cupped her face and thumbs brushed away her tears slowly as he stared into those pained eyes. "Shino, please don't cry. C'mon. Just tell me what's wrong. Please. I don't want you to be hurt, alright? If it was something I did I'm so sorry. I'm such an idiot." Haseo said, blabbering out apologies that he probably didn't have to. Once more he felt hesitant as he wiped the tears away before he slid his arms around her neck and pulled her into a tight embrace. His eyes looked down and he felt like he never wanted to let her go. Like letting her go would result in her being gone from him for a long period of time again. "I don't wanna lose you again, Shino...you're too important to me...so, you're gonna stay by my side whether you like it or not, damnit." Haseo muttered softly, almost with a caring tone in his voice, albeit harsh because...well...it was Haseo.
---
Words: 730
Experience: 3855

[Shino]

The feelings of crying in front of Haseo could only be compared to what it would be like to stroll down the stress completely naked. Shino felt so exposed, as if he could see through her to the most personal thoughts and feelings. The judgment that the young woman had really expected to see in Haseo's face for her tears wasn't there- instead all she could see in his face was worry. Haseo cared about her and here she was trying with a fiery passion to push that caring as far away as possible. A jolt of pain raced through the young woman's heart as she wondered if what Haseo went through wasn't all that different from what she was.

Then his hand graced her cheek and he began to brush away her tears with his thumb. Shino just had to listen to the way Haseo was speaking to her to know she was being a terrible fool over everything. Here he was apologizing like it was his fault when in reality she was just emotionally trying to murder herself. Slowly she felt Haseo's comforting touch wrap about her and before she could even realize what was happening she was in his warm embrace. It would have been impossible to prevent the blush from overtaking her face.

Shino wasn't sure if she should try to return his embrace at all, but she knew she couldn't stop the tears from falling at this point- especially not with what Haseo was saying to her. He was being so adamant about not losing her and so honest about how he felt that suddenly anything preventing her from telling him how she truly felt disappeared. After an unsteady moment she brought her arms up and wrapped them around Haseo, though her embrace wasn't as determined or tight as his. With so many tears slipping down her face all she could do was bury her face in Haseo's chest and think about all the things she needed to talk to him about.

"Haseo..." She started softly, waiting for the crying to subside. The young woman wasn't sure how long she had waited in his soft embrace silently, but eventually her crying calmed and she was of level-enough mind to speak. "I know I should be looking at you when I say these things but..." Shino's voice had a slight laugh to it as she spoke and her arms wrapped a little tighter around Haseo, as if to silently ask him for strength.

"It's been hard since everything... you know. This whole time I've been thinking about everything you had to go through and all of the people you've got close to. One, obviously, more than the others," Her voice faltered a little and she had to take a deep breath. Even with Haseo telling her that he didn't want to lose her it was so easy to doubt how he really felt about her. One day he could decide he didn't need her or something could happen like it had before and then... she'd just be alone.

Until that day was it really so terrible to become close to people? All of the struggles she had in her life before the world and all of the struggles she endured as this strong Harvest Cleric were telling here it could have been worse. Terrible things were bound to happen in life, but wasn't it really all about making yourself happy? "You've always been the one to want to do everything on your own but now I think maybe that's what I've been trying to do. Depending on people is so difficult when they could waltz out of your life in a split second. And you already seemed to have someone in your life occupying your heart so I didn't think..."

"I thought I would be a burden. Maybe you'd be better off if I just distanced myself and let you be who you were before you saved me. In your arms like this I know I can't fool myself anymore Haseo." Shino wondered if he already knew what she was going to say- she wondered if he would really feel the same way. There were too many what ifs to run through them silently and now she was just trying to stall, she knew that.

After a long pause she finally managed to say, "I can't stand the thought of losing you Haseo. Please let me rely on you. Let me care for you."

Words: 748
Total Exp: 4817

[Haseo]

Feeling Shino shaking in his arms was something he never expected to feel. Feeling her trembling as she cried...it brought a sobering feeling to his gut. She needed him...probably even more than he needed her. Everything he had done had been for her. All of the fighting, all of the leveling up, all of the Player Killing. Every bit of information he had gathered was because he had been trying to find a way to bring Shino back from her coma. But here she was in his arms...crying. She said his name and he looked down at her, she stopped trembling...stopped crying. But he was listening closely. His arms squeezed around her tighter, drawing her closer to him as he frowned softly. "Don't worry about it...say what you want...you can tell me anything." Haseo whispered soothingly to her, tilting his head slightly though her hat was mostly blocking his view from her face. He supposed that was a good thing, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable when she said she couldn't even look at him.

He frowned a bit as she started to speak. One more than others? Did she mean Atoli? That was just preposterous...he didn't really feel that way about her. Sure, it may have seemed like that, but he just saw it as a friendship more than anything. Atoli was someone he could depend on, but she was no replacement for Shino as a Harvest Cleric. Atoli had woke him up. He had been a jerk to her every chance he had gotten. When she said look, he said "I don't want to." When she said "let's stop and enjoy the scenery", he had said "this isn't about the stupid scenery". There were so many times that he had been a jerk to her, given her a chance to walk away from him. He had been the Terror of Death, after all. Nobody should have wanted to get close to him. He had been surprised and annoyed enough at first when Silabus and Gaspard had approached him, calling him a newb. It had frustrated and infuriated him at the time because he had just been dragged back to level 1. Had just felt the sting of being pierced by the Data Drain.

He had been lonely and he hadn't wanted to let anyone else in. Not after what happened with the Twilight Brigade. Not after Ovan had abandoned them and the group had dispersed, though it was small anyway so it wasn't as though it mattered. Haseo had stuck with Shino until she had been put into a coma by Tri-Edge...by Ovan. As he listened to Shino, he just shook his head slowly and he scowled a bit. He waited for her to finish, he wanted to make sure she knew he was listening so he wouldn't interrupt her but he sat motionless as his arms squeezed her to him. However, when he heard her last words, he felt his face grow hot with a blush and his heart began thumping in his chest harder than he had ever felt it beat before. His eyes widened and he stared at the pond behind Shino and he froze. Was...was she revealing that she had feelings for him? Butterflies thrashed around in his gut, urging him to say something anything.

He shook his head, shaking himself out of his state of shock and clearing his throat as his hands slid up to grasp her shoulders. He pushed her forward, keeping a firm grip on her shoulders as he stared directly down at her lovely face. "Sh-Shino...don't be stupid... I only took on the friends I did because I needed them. At the time...I thought they'd just be pawns I could use to help me figure things out. But now I realized that they really are my friends...they were there when I needed them most. There for me when I was struggling to bring back the most important person to my heart. You're not a damn burden and you never will be, even though this last year has been a huge pain in the ass. But don't go trying to tell me that my heart has found someone to take the place of the real person I care about." Haseo said sternly, the blush still on his face despite the stern look he gave Shino. His grip loosened on her shoulders and he let his arms move to her upper arms, his expression softening and a warm smile spreading across his lips.

"Shino...you can rely on me as much as you need to...I know you've got my back whenever I might need you to have it. And I'm not goin' anywhere, okay? So..." Haseo stopped and hesitated for a moment. Man, he didn't want to be a sap and he knew if he looked like he was hesitated Shino might think he was unsure of what he was about to say. "Ugh, man, this is so uncool but...." He pulled her into his arms once more and he squeezed her petite form firmly to him once again, leaning his face close to her own and saying softly, "Stay by my side...I won't let anything bad happen to you. I'm the Terror of Death, after all...who's gonna mess with you when you've got me around?" He said with a bit of a stupid grin on his face. Yes. He was the Terror of Death. Someone who should be feared by enemies and someone who would make sure his friends were protected at all costs. "I'll be...the guardian of your heart." he murmured, blushing at the stupid thing that he just had to add. It was so stupid and he half expected a laugh to come forward from Shino's lips.

Man, what a cheeseball.
---
Words: 958
Experience: 4813

[Kite]

”Ugh…”

From the bushes, Kite emerged rubbing his head. At first, opening his eyes to the world revealed nothing but a sea of blurs. He groaned, one hand shielding his eyes from the little light that managed to render him dazed, the other holding the back of his head tenderly. That must have been quite a fall he recovered from – but wait, where did he even fall from? A sore neck strained back to inspect the surroundings above, seeing nothing more than the heights of majestic trees. It was puzzling…

He had no memory of being in trees.

“Where…?” he squinted, the world around him slowly coming to a focus, “Where… am I…?”

Not only did he have no memory of being in trees, he had no memory of this place at all! Nothing about this forest was familiar to him. The World was monotonous enough in its design that the places that had trees looked like every other place that had trees. It wasn’t as colorful, and it was way too dark right now. Unless the whole server had undergone some sort of upgrade, but Kite didn’t think he was that out of the loop of the game.

“How did I… even get here…?” Finally it wasn’t so hard to keep his eyes open, which allowed him a proper chance at observation. Not that he got anything new out of the high-definition view. Nothing familiar… nothing new…

He chipped a finger away at the bark of one of the trees, and immediately pulled his hand back, quite surprised at the fall of the individual piece of bark.

“Oh man, that is new! That can’t be real!” Wide eyed and confused, Kite spun around to take in everything again and again and again. He went up to a patch of tall grass and brushed it to the side with his foot, amazed at the detail of dirt beneath it, leaning down to take in a whiff of its scent. He froze at the realization that he could smell it.

…

Slowly, he stood up, staring down at a flower within the grass that he must have smelt. Just as slowly, Kite raised his gloved hands, palm-up so he could stare at them. Like he was a puppet come to life, he stared astonishingly at the flex and extension of each finger at each knuckle. A hand reached back and gripped one of his twin blades, staring at it with similar fascination as he had toward his fingers. The reflection of his face in the blade was interesting, but not what he was focusing on.

He raised a finger to the blade and –

”OW!” Putting the pricked finger in his mouth, he clenched the twin blade tighter. The taste of blood in his mouth was nothing new to him, but in this body of a computer game character it was! With a bit of nervousness, he began running to where it was most bright. He didn’t like being in the dark all by himself. Not too keen on being with strangers either, but so long as he could see with ease the world around him.

As he continued to run, an open gate came into view, and the relief of a residential area filled him. His hair was probably a mess, who knows how tired he looked, but maybe if there were some pleasant looking people beyond the gates –

Hey, they were people that looked a little like him! Maybe they knew something.

“Hey!” he slowed as he passed through the gate, not thinking to conceal his weapon, nor be wary of the strangers. He may have noticed a bit late that they may have been in the middle of a moment.

He slowed.

They were definitely having a moment. Embarrassment overcame him, but not enough to override survival instincts.

“Oh… I’m…” he pulled his finger out of his mouth, “I’m sorry! I just – well – would you happen to know where we are? I’m a little confused…”

Attempt: 677
Total Experience: 677

[Haseo]

It was so sudden.

His arms were wrapped around Shino, she was tightly within his embrace and he held her to his very core. He felt happy...relieved...excited that she was here...with him. All worries that he had seen Azure Kite were gone. Everything that had vanished and he felt like it was only himself and Shino in this place. His eyes shut halfway and he gave a soft sigh, simply content with having Shino there with him. Until once more it happened. Again Shino was torn from his grasp, his arms pulled inward toward himself as the woman seemed to just disappear. Haseo stumbled forward, eyes wide with surprise at the sudden emptiness in his arms. He looked around quickly, not seeing Shino anywhere. No longer was she near him, no longer were his arms to be wrapped around her. His hands shook, his eyes were wide, frantic, even. "Shino...? Shino!? SHINO?! WHERE ARE YOU!?" He cried out desperately, his heart pounding within his chest. Panic spread throughout him. He didn't want to lose her again...he couldn't! His fingers curled into his palm and he gritted his teeth to the point where they squeaked against each other. His pupils were dilated as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

Then he heard someone.

He whipped around, hoping to see some sort of clue as to where Shino had gone. Tri-Edge! That son of a bitch had dared to show his face right after this had happened?! He felt a rage build up inside of him, his anger descending upon him like a storm. His eyes began to glow with rage and he reached back, yanking the twin blades from their spot behind his back. A flash of light brought them to his palms and his fingers closed around them. A firm squeeze caused the triangular blades to vibrate wildly as though it were a pair of small saws in his hands. "Kill...." Hasoe said quietly, eyes narrowing dangerously upon the seemingly innocent boy. He wore the same clothes as Azure Kite though...he made the wrong decision in approaching Haseo. He wanted nothing more than to tear the kid to pieces, to make sure he didn't get back up. He was here, it was all too convenient for him to show up and for Shino to disappear. She couldn't have gone far. She couldn't have just disappeared into thin air.

"I'LL KILL YOU, TRI-EDGE!"

Complete and unadultered anger. He wanted to defeat him, it was almost as though it was Haseo's purpose at that point to cut the person who had appeared before him down. He was a Player-Killer-Killer. It hadn't been proven that Azure Kite hadn't been a Player Killer, so one could say Haseo was about to do his job as the Terror of Death. He didn't know if he could take him in his current state, being only a level one Adept Rogue wasn't exactly "fighting fit" when it came to Player Killing. But they weren't in The World now. This was the real world. Here, Haseo could probably win. Here, there was a chance that Azure Kite no longer possessed his super human abilities. But it didn't matter, he wouldn't stop until he watched the life leave his eyes. He wouldn't stop until he felt the last breath of the Corrupted AI against his face. He would avenge Shino, he would make him pay for what he had done. She was gone again, after he had finally found her. How could he not blame Azure Kite? How could he not make the assumption that the bastard had taken her away from him?

He began his quick, steady charge in the other Twin Blade's direction, blades poised and revved as he leaped up into the air, eyes crazed with rage. Silver hair whipped about his face and he let out a blood curdling roar of anger as he swung the first of the blades down, aiming right for that big red hat that sat atop his head. This time, Haseo had nothing to lose. He had no levels, he had no coding, all he had to lose was his life. And in that moment, the only thing that mattered to him was making sure that he eliminated this bastard once and for all. Making sure that he wouldn't be hurt by him again. He would find Shino again. Haseo would destroy the one person who he contained a rather large amount of hatred for. He didn't care anymore, he had flung all reason out the window. The moment Shino had disappeared and he had turned around to see Kite standing there before him...he had gone berserk.
---
Words: 770
Experience: 5583

[Kite]

Something told Kite he was awful with his timing.

The way the girl had disappeared was similar to what he had witnessed in The World. And despite its familiarity, it didn’t hit him right. He had just pricked his finger to draw some real blood. It was real pain he felt, so he had to actually be living in his Character’s body in the real world. That just made the sight more disturbing. Matter couldn’t disappear like that. People didn’t disappear like that. And by the way she had left him and how the boy proceeded to react it wasn’t expected nor wanted.

Kite felt incredibly out of place and awkward.

Regretting that he had set foot in the castle grounds to begin with, Kite began to take a step back from where he came. His progress was halted by a low utter, breath of a word that he was hoping he heard wrong. As he turned to look back over his shoulder, he thought, Did he just say ‘ki –

Blood red. That’s what the guy’s eyes looked like. Kite’s green ones couldn’t be drawn away from them, completely disarmed in its ferocity. He had never seen real eyes that color before, and it was scary how blank yet focused they looked right now. All but Kite’s sense of vision shut off for the second the two shared a glance. An earthquake could have happened, and Kite’d be sure the other’s stance wouldn’t move a hair. So the moment he broke the air with an inhale, words spliced through the air to his ears and Kite felt horrifically confused.

Is he talking to me…?

It was so sudden, indeed.

The World or not, this was Kite’s element. His pupils dilated. His knees lost him at least two feet in height as he crouched in reflex to the assailant charging. The twin blades already in his fists granted him an extra second or two to have them poised defensively. It wasn’t right to go on the offensive when he felt in his gut this was a huge misunderstanding, and all they needed was a word. But he couldn’t let this guy slash down on his skull like he obviously intended to, dive-bombing from above. Pushing off from the ground, he leapt back recovered in a mental shock.

Had he really moved that fast?

“Ah,” he’d have to think about it later. His opponent’s feet hitting the grass shook the earth beneath his feet in a magnified embellishment – the mess of his hair, the flex of his muscles, the tilt of the trees even helped to contribute to the danger of it all. Once serene and innocent eyes sparked with electricity and confusion, finding those blood red eyes again.

This guy was hungry for blood, but he was seeking it from the wrong veins.

“Hey, hold on! I think you got the wrong guy, here! I’m not Tri-Edge!”

Attempt: 492
Total Experience: 1169

[Haseo]

Haseo was frantic in his movements, completely unlike the Terror of Death like he'd become known for throughout The World. His movements were wild, swift, and dangerous not only to his target but a danger to himself. He was being sloppy in his desperate to just land a hit. To see that blood cascade from broken flesh and to see the saw-like teeth of his swords bite into the flesh. However, it seemed the boy wasn't having that. His eyes focused upon those of Kite's, his own eyes wild and crazed, like an angry animal. No longer was he Haseo, no longer was he even the Terror of Death. He was just Ryuu Misaki. Scared, alone, trapped in this place and having watched the girl he cared about more than anyone else disappear in his arms for a second time. He didn't want to deal with that anymore. He didn't want to deal with the pain of being alone or tearing through hordes of enemies just so that he could figure out a scrap of information. He wanted Shino back. Right now.

Kite spoke, his voice was soft, not the raspy tone that Tri-Edge usually spoke in, though one could hardly call it speech at all. Haseo refused to believe that this guy had any kind of conscious thought and wasn't being controlled by Tri-Edge. He took another swipe at Kite and growled. "Don't fuck with me! C'mon! Aren't you gonna Data Drain me? Maybe you'll actually kill me this time! Don't leave your job unfinished this time, you son of a bitch!" Haseo roared. However, he came to a dead halt, stumbling forward slightly, his eyes widening as he stood in a rather odd position. All weight was on one foot and he looked like he might just fall over. His blades fell out of his hands and clanked against the ground before disappearing in a sliver of white light.

Ba-bump.

He felt a hard thump against his chest, as though something within him was trying to get out. Was it Skeith? Was his Avatar attempting to escape once again? To be unleashed in his moment of berserk rage? His moment of desperation? Could he really call on it once more and obliterate any that call his path. "Skeith...?" he said softly, bringing his hands up to cup the sides of his head. His fingers clutched at his scalp as he smirked, his body tensed and he panted heavily. "C'mon...c'mon...I'm right here..." he said, trying to urge the Avatar from his form. However, that familiar feeling didn't come to him, in fact, that familiar tension he had felt in his gut faded away after he had said it. Perhaps it would take time for the Avatar to once more awaken to him again. He growled and stood up straight, fingers clenching tightly into fists. Now he just looked like an idiot in front of the boy he had been fighting. He knew that it wasn't Tri-Edge. Tri-Edge would have struck back, he would have block his attacks with deadly efficiency and given the slightest opening, he probably would have Data Drained Haseo again. This time, he wasn't sure whether or not he would live through it.

"If you're not Tri-Edge...then who the hell are you?" Haseo asked, his lips a frown as he turned his back to Kite and looked back at the spot where he had been standing with Shino. He felt a knot curl up in his throat and a pain in his chest rose up. He felt tears sting his eyes but never fully emerge enough to drop down his cheek. "God damnit... do I... Do I really have to start all over?" Haseo asked, gritting his teeth and biting back tears that threatened to spill forward. She was gone, disappearing from his very arms as though she hadn't been there from the get go. Was he going crazy? Had she been a mirage? Had Haseo been so desperate to see her that his mind had conjured some kind of vision? No. The warmth he had felt when he had embraced her had been real. The smell of honeysuckle on her was something that was still fresh in his mind, as it had happened only moments before. Haseo blinked away the tears welling up and sighed heavily.

"The wrong guy". It was the story of Haseo's life. He had tried to hunt down Tri-Edge for all of those years, had tried to eliminated Azure Kite, looking for the wrong person the whole time. The wrong guy? Haseo's shoulders shook, not with anger or sadness...but with laughter. The chuckle turned into a laugh, which turned into a loud guffaw. He smacked his hand across the top half of his face and tilted his head back, laughing up at the sky. Perhaps the heavens were mocking him, telling him not to bother trying to get Shino back. Always he pursued the wrong person. "Heh...hahaha...AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Goddamnit." his hand fell limply to his side and he slumped to his knees on the ground, sighing heavily as he looked up at the sky still, his eyes blank and he seemed lost. "I'm...such an idiot..." the Adept Rogue whispered.

He was lost. He didn't know where to go from here.

He didn't want to start over. He had already done so before. He wanted someone to show him the way.

Haseo wanted a reason to go on.
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Words: 898
Experience: 6481