.hack//PARADIGM

 by Tsukasa_magic

Note to the Reader: Hey people! Thanks for taking your valuable time to read this story! Okay, first, people in the real world look basically the same with no markings (a.k.a. Tsukasa's boomerangs, Subaru's rune, etc.) I don't feel like making them different. Oh, and also, sorry for murdering the plot of .hack//SIGN. (This really branches off) Also, if you don't know what paradigm means, look it up. Learn a new word! Okay, that's all! Read, enjoy, and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own .hack//SIGN. (I would like to, of course, or be in it!)

.hack//PARADIGM

Chapter 1 - The World "Do you call it solitude? Do you call it liberty? When all the world turns away to leave you lonely." -"The World", .hack//SIGN OST 1

Tsukasa sat down on a rock in exhaustion. His silvery-white hair was stuck to his face in streaks of perspiration and his light beige and brown robes were covered with dirt and his own sweat. He carefully set his ivory staff next to him and drew his porcelain hand across his brow. His ragged panting began to subside to soft breaths. "I don't know how much longer I can go on like this," he muttered. You see, Tsukasa had just escaped the Crimson Knights. The Knights were a self-proclaimed police force for The World. "The World," Tsukasa said, smiling ironically. "It's supposed to let you escape reality. But it is my reality." He sighed. The World, as everyone called it, was a MMORPG (massive multi-player online role-playing game). In other words, anyone in the real world could create a character and play it. You could be almost anything you wanted. Wavemaster (spellcaster), Heavy Swordsman, Heavy Axeman, Twin Blade. Look any way you wanted. Act any way you wanted. Be what you couldn't in your true life. The World was a virtual reality game, so it allowed you to do this. Login. Logout. But Tsukasa couldn't. He couldn't logout. He was trapped like a butterfly in a net. Tsukasa sighed again. Running from the Crimson Knights was very tiring. They were closing in and he knew it. "I wish they would all just leave me alone," Tsukasa whispered. "It's getting harder and harder." Ever since the appearance of a mysterious cat character, the Knights had been after Tsukasa like a hound after a fox. Tsukasa shut his eyes wearily. Perhaps he could get some sleep before going on. He curled up into a loose ball and slowly fell asleep.

Subaru smiled slightly as the sound of her own silver high-heeled boots clicked softly on the ground. She sighed and tossed her short aqua hair out of her ivory face, the small jewel on the top of her chest jingling slightly. She looked out at the sun falling into the river she was walking by, the water a shining crimson wave. A small duck landed in the water with a few ducklings following suite. "I wish it would all just end quietly like this," she murmured, her voice like a harp playing on the soft wind. "From my experience, I doubt it, " the voice of Silver Knight came to her ears. She sighed again and halted. She turned her porcelain face upward, the sun lighting up her skin and accenting the red rune painted on her forehead. "I know," she said, her reddish eyes searching the sky. She turned her face down again and looked at the Silver Knight, her right arm and supposed protector. "Why? Why did this happen?" she said, more to herself than to the Knight, turning her face to the river again. Silver Knight remained silent; knowing Subaru was in thought. Subaru shivered slightly as the soft wind blew, sighing across her bare midriff and fanning out her cyan dress behind her. Subaru was the founder and leader of the Crimson Knights. Her name was eminent and revered across The World, her status high. Sometimes she wished she could drop her responsibility to The World and System Administration and run in the meadows with the scent of fresh flowers blowing in her face, engulfing her like a welcome love. But it was not to be. "What is the boy's name again?" she asked, turning to Silver Knight again. "Tsukasa," Silver Knight spat. "Ah," she said. "Tsukasa." She smiled ironically. "Tsukasa, the wanted Wavemaster," she said. "Silver Knight?" "Yes, Lady Subaru?" "This is a game right?" "Yes." "And a game is just play, right?" "Well, technically, yes." "This is a game, yet this boy Tsukasa is wanted." "Well, even games have rules. The boy's the one who chose to disregard the rules." "Yes, but sometimes…" She trailed off, shutting her eyes and closing off the ruby light. "Lady Subaru." "I know. He has been running amok with that guardian of his. He has broken the rules and needs to understand punishment." "Yes." "I hate it." "Excuse me?" "I hate it," she said softly. "I hate doing this." "Do you regret having founded the Crimson Knights?" Silver Knight asked suddenly. "Excuse me?" she stuttered, the question catching her off guard. "I said do you regret having founded the Crimson Knights?" She turned to him, her pale pink lips forming a small smile. "I don't believe you should ask me that right now," she said. "I am no longer sure."

Tsukasa's eyes opened slowly. It took a moment before he remembered exactly what he was about. He sighed and sat up. He reached out, took his staff in his left hand, planted it on the ground, and stood up. "Where should I go? Not that it matters anymore," he asked himself. "I'm wanted across all servers of this universe, so why should I care?" "Maybe I should go see Aura." He shook his head. Not now. Not after what had happened with his guardian. "My guardian," he murmured. "My guardian." "Yeah," he thought. "My guardian's been disobeying my orders and hurting people." Some guardian. He decided he did not want to hear that voice. That…mother. "Mother," he whispered. "Are you my mother? I'm not sure." He sighed. "If only she would appear to me. Perhaps then I would know." "No you wouldn't. You can't remember your mother. You can't remember your family or friends. You can't remember the real world, your life. You can't remember. YOU CAN'T REMEMBER…" He hurriedly blocked out the voice, his voice, running through his head. Tsukasa tossed his silvery hair back out of his face and began to move forward. As he walked, he glanced at his surroundings. Violet eyes flicked over the server's grass, taking in the scenery. The server he was on contained a large meadow with towering, indigo mountains jutting up occasionally and small yellow flowers fluttering their petals like a dance in the wind. Tsukasa smiled slightly as their scent blew in his face. He continued on. As he walked, he thought about his current situation. He smiled bitterly. "Wanted by the Crimson Knights and trapped in The World at the same time. Wow," he muttered darkly. He sighed and looked up at the rising sun. He must have slept undisturbed all night. That was a change. He was usually going from one place to place to another or hiding out. He shook his head and walked on. After a while, Tsukasa came upon a small stream. The brook bubbled and giggled as though it hadn't a care in the world. Tsukasa smiled. He knelt and stripped off his grimy, brown finger-less gloves. He washed the dirt off his hands. He decided he would do better. He rolled up the sleeves of his brown shirt, tucking the ends in under his light beige overshirt. He took the cool water and ran it over his skin, letting the grime and dirt fall away to reveal his perfectly round, porcelain arms. He did the same with his legs, the ivory skin coming clean from under the sweat. He rolled his sleeves and upper shin-length brown pants down (which he had rolled up to about mid thigh), slipped his loose, brown boots back on his small feet, and let his brown robe fall into place over his legs. That felt a lot better. Tsukasa cupped his hands under the water and lifted some to his face. The water mirrored his reflection perfectly. He gazed at it for a moment. Violet eyes peered up at him out of a flawlessly shaped slender face. Upon both cheeks a red boomerang mark lay and silvery-white, about an inch above his shoulders hair framed the ivory face. But there was one noticeable thing. Where any normal fourteen-year-old boy had happy eyes, Tsukasa's had a note of depression one couldn't immediately forget. One that his a secret… Tsukasa sighed and thirstily drank the clear water. He wiped his mouth, slipped his gloves back on his small hands, and stood again. "Where must I go?" he whispered. "To find happiness?" He shook his head, stepped over the brook, and walked forward. He hummed very softly as he walked, his warm voice mixing melodiously with the gentle wind.

The girl scanned the weary cerulean eyes. The perky brown hair that cascaded down to flip in spikes about her neck stirred in the teasing wind. "Where is he?" she muttered, starting to get slightly annoyed. "Boo!" a voice said right in her ear. The girl jumped seemed like fifty feet and flipped around to stare into a blue outlined by white face of a man. He smiled. "Hey, Mimiru," he said in friendly tone. The girl, now identified as Mimiru, flipped her hair out of her face with an irritable jerk of her tan hand. "Jeez, Bear! Don't you do that again, and I mean it!" Mimiru snapped. Bear held up his hands. "Sorry. What's got you so worked up?" She sighed and turned her tan face away, her demeanor saddening slightly. "Tsukasa," she whispered. "Ah, the Wavemaster," Bear said. "What about him? So many rumors are springing up about that boy that it's hard to keep up." She sighed and turned back to him, her eyes now burning slightly. "He's wanted." Bear nodded. The posters were everywhere, in The World and on the BBS (message board). "Bear, it's going to turn out that he won't be able to play this game anymore. People will look at him and see him as that Tsukasa. He'll be a marked player. I don't want that to happen to him!" "I see," Bear murmured, the bulky bronze armor that enclosed his legs and shoulder shifting with him. Mimru drew her sword and looked at it without really seeing it. She traced her fingers down the wide blade, feeling the emerald carvings on the front and the cold metal under her skin. She touched on finger to the edge lightly. "Still sharp," she murmured absently. "Mimiru?" She shook her head distractedly then looked back at Bear. "It's not fair." "Life's not fair," he responded automatically. She smiled slightly, putting her heavy blade away. "You would know, right?" she said. "I suppose so." "Oh, Tsukasa," Mimiru said. "Please stay out of trouble."

"The Wavemaster has not shown himself for some time now. Reports of sightings were coming in more and more, but now it's like he's disappeared. Subaru turned her amber eyes to look at the Knight. "Well, then," she said, shifting the grip on her gold-hafted battleaxe that stood almost as high as her small frame. "You have nothing to tell me?" "I'm sorry, milady," the Knight," the Knight said haltingly. "If only I knew more…" "No, we mustn't regret what's happened in the past. We must focus our efforts on at least learning of him. And please…" Subaru reached out and laid her porcelain hand on the Knight's leather-enclosed shoulder, squeezing it in a slightly pleading way. "…refrain from going off on your own. This in not a time for heroes." "Yes, milady," the Knight murmured. He rose from his kneeling on one knee position to stand a good two feet taller than his lady. "We shall try our hardest." "What are the squadrons doing about this recent situation in The World?" Subaru inquired. "Starting with the field where we first encountered the Wavemaster, Tsukasa, our surveillance troops are working around the clock," the Knight replied. "Is that going to be sufficient?" "No matter where this Wavemaster goes, he must first pass through Chaos Gate. After all, in Root towns there is no other means of movement with the exception of the gate. As long as we're guarding the gate, it's only a matter of time." Subaru nodded in acknowledgement. "Lady Subaru?" "Yes, dear Knight?" "Please do not ask why I say this, but be cautious. Keep your guard. I don't know why I am warning you, but please heed my words." Subaru gazed at him for a moment, her eyes puzzled and slightly narrowed, before turning her back to him. "You are dismissed," she said. The Knight walked away. "No sign," she murmured. "Hmm. Silver Knight?" She turned to him. "Why do you believe this Wavemaster has disappeared?" "I believe that he is scared by his fugitive state, my Lady," Silver Knight said. "He is laying low. But someday, when this quiets down, he will move again." "I will pray that day never comes," Lady Subaru whispered. She turned her face, locking her amber gaze with her knight. "Silver Knight, I need to make this clear. Though the Crimson Knights have said that his character…Tsukasa…is wanted, I do not wish him to be hurt or stricken." "What are you trying to say, milady?" "I'm saying that you are not to hurt this character under any circumstances. Do you understand me?" "Yes, milady."

Tsukasa sunk wearily to sit on one of the benches inside the Church. This was the server he used most often to hide (besides Aura's that is). It was an odd place, really. One solitary building, alone and sad by itself. Like him. Tsukasa tucked one of his legs beneath him, the other drawing designs on the stone floor with the toe of his boot. He glanced slowly across the room, it's stone floors and lonely benches somehow reflecting how he felt inside, lost and alone. Completely and absolutely alone. He sighed and shut his eyes. "I'm so tired," he whispered. Suddenly he heard a moaning sound above him. He looked up. A large bar bell-shaped brown "thing" was floating above him. "Stay right there, " Tsukasa said quickly. His guardian remained where it was. Tsukasa sighed with relief. It was listening to him again. He didn't like remembering the time when it hadn't.

-flashback-

"I can see you understand what I'm feeling," Tsukasa said to his guardian that floated above where he sat on the upper-outside floor of the Church. "I don't like this," Tsukasa murmured, looking down again. The feeling of fear and anxiety was growing in his mind. "I don't like this at all. What is this feeling?" "Ya!" a group of warrior women yelled as they jumped out. Tsukasa gasped. He shut his eyes in pain and fear as one of them slammed their naginata (spear/sword/staff) into his side, sending him flying and crashing him into the stone floor. Tsukasa quickly stood up, holding his injured left shoulder. He frowned at them, anger and fear blazing in his icy eyes at the same time, mixing with terrifying results. "You. You must be the Wavemaster the people have been talking about," a red head girl said who seemed to be the leader. "And I am?" Tsukasa asked softly. "Don't take it personally, but now you must fight us," she said. "Are you sure?" "Excuse me?" "Right now, I'm not really in the mood," Tsukasa said, tossing his hair arrogantly out of his ivory face. "Well, we'll see about that, won't we. Prepare yourself." "All right," Tsukasa said, spreading his arms palms down out to his sides. "But remember, I gave you fools a chance." At this point, Tsukasa let the will holding his guardian loose. The beast appeared in the sky between the girls and him. "What in the world?!" The guardian attacked. Tentacle-like shoots of the monster shot out and viciously fought the warriors with a vengeance. To put it mildly, they were no match. Tsukasa watched, his eyes cold and his face unfeeling, the girls get beaten, whipped, slapped, and pummeled by the unmerciful beast for a moment. "I think that's about enough," he murmured. He raised his staff above his head and called, "Halt! That's enough!" The guardian ignored him. "Hey, that's enough!" he repeated. His violet eyes widened as the guardian continued. "This has to stop," he said incredulously. The guardian kept going, the screams of the girls filling the night with terrifying clarity. "Guardian," Tsukasa said with horror.

-end flashback-

Tsukasa shuddered, shutting out the vivid memory. He looked down at his left shoulder. He lifted his sleeve and glanced at the mark. He narrowed his eyes and prodded it. He winced. The bruise still resided there though it had been a while ago. "Strange, though, if this is The World," he murmured. Since it was a game, you couldn't really feel pain. You knew, of course, when your character was hurt or tired. The feeling registered in your mind, which made the game realistic. It was possible to collapse and such, but was it as possible for other players as it was for Tsukasa, The World being his life and heart? That was the question. Tsukasa sighed, letting the brown sleeve fall and cover the purple mark that marred the otherwise perfect skin. "I wonder what my real life was like," he said softly. "Was it running and hiding like this the constant fear of being captured and bound? Or was it happy, as it should be?" "Do I even have a life?" he thought. "Or am I just a possibility, a permanency in The World like the bench I am sitting on?" Tsukasa put his other leg up on the bench and laid down. He bent his arms, clasping his hands beneath his chin and curving his legs, letting his staff fall with a clatter onto the floor. "So…tired," he whispered as his violet eyes shut and he fell asleep. His guardian drifted down next to him. It seemed to listen to his charge's soft breath and watch his chest rise and fall like it reassured it. It slowly put out a tentacle and touched it gently to Tsukasa's pale cheek in an almost timidly caressing way. Tsukasa made a small sound like a sigh and whimper combined and stirred ever so slightly, but didn't awaken. "Bring him back. Bring back my love, my life, my joy, Twilight. Bring me back my Tsukasa," a soft voice commanded. The guardian shifted as a shiver ran through it. It tentatively curved its tentacle around Tsukasa's slender waist as though to lift him and take him away. The boy turned to the beast in sleep, his face childishly innocent as though he had escaped his invisible bonds. The guardian uncurled its shoot reluctantly. It touched it to Tsukasa's heart once more, feeling the boy's soft heartbeat, before disintegrating and disappearing altogether.

Mimiru paced the length of her room slowly. She retraced the steps so many times it seemed that surely the floor would disintegrate beneath her feet. But, thankfully, it didn't. The girl stopped abruptly in the middle of the room and let her eyes travel to rest on the computer that sat in the corner. She smiled slightly. She spent so much free time in The World that the dusty silence of the computer for company seemed peculiarly comforting. Mimiru sighed exasperatedly. She had been in this dark and foreboding mood for the past couple of days. Tsukasa, homework, Tsukasa, worry, and Tsukasa were some of the reasons. "Oh, Tsukasa," she sighed, collapsing ruefully into the chair before the computer screen. "Where have you disappeared to? Are you in trouble? Right now? Do you need help? Maybe my help?" She sighed again, running her slender hand through her spiky hair, scattering it in all directions as she reached for the special headset that allowed one to play and access The World. She turned the computer on and slipped the headset carefully on the cover her eyes and ears. She quickly glanced at the BBS to see if anything new had cropped up. Mimiru noticed a small thumbnail in the corner of the board. She clicked on it. Her eyes widened. The thumbnail had expanded into a full-screen wanted ad. Tsukasa's picture was on it (a front and side view) smiling as though he didn't know. Underneath the image it read: "Notice. The character known as Tsukasa is wanted under the name of the Crimson Knights across all servers of The World's universe his crime being the use of an aggressive beast against other players. Any information that leads to the capture and binding of or the actual capture of this character shall be rewarded with a bonus item while also the thanks of the Crimson Knights." "Those, those," Mimiru sputtered in shrill fury. "Those idiots! Those morons! I can't believe their foolish stupidity!" Before she could stop herself, Mimiru ripped off the headset, threw it on the computer desk with an echoing clatter, and began quickly pacing the room, flailing her arms and swearing vengeance against anything and everything that came to mind. All of her nervous and excessively dark energy seemed to throw itself out of her throat through her steely and quite vicious words so that when it was over, she felt much better, though still rather infuriated over the notice. "A bonus item, like he's lower than a quest to them," she muttered as she picked up the headset and jammed it back onto her head. "Well, they need to drop their "high and mighty" attitude and think about what he might be feeling now. He's only a kid for crying out loud!" Her words trailed off into snatches of phrases, most of it incoherent, as she proceeded to login.

logging on to c:/ >_The_World name: Mimiru username: Mimiru password: swordsgirl password username combination accepted please wait_

c./ > _mimiru character design template file name: mimiru search words: mimiru, swordswoman file type: female file category: heavyswordsman eye color: blue hair: brown

login successful welcome to The World_

Mimiru smiled as her mind and almost body were transferred to another world. The World.

Mimiru opened her cerulean eyes slowly as she descended in a spiral of golden bands to land in front of the rotating ring that was the Chaos Gate. The Chaos Gate was a swirling gateway that resided in the Root towns of each server and allowed players to jump between servers, imput combinations of keywords to gain access to fields, or logout. It was the primary means of travel in The World. Mimiru looked down, glancing at her costume. She was dressed in one-strap crimson chest armor that left her midsection bare and a dun-colored loin cloth type of thing connected to two plates that protected the sides of her legs, also crimson. Her skin was tan, highlighted with golden accents and an ebony choker around her neck. She also wore chocolate-colored boots up to few inches below her knees. Strapped to her back was a large broadsword, its hilt brown and the metal accented with jade. Mimiru nodded, satisfied. She glanced around with her sharp eyes, surveying the server of Dun Loireag, focusing on nothing in particular. Except… Her eyes landed on a girl. She was small but her innocent eyes were large and round. They would have been beautiful but there was something wrong. They had no pupils. They were just glass. Crimson glass. Mimiru shuddered involutarily even though she was looking from a distance. It was like looking in a well of blood. The girl was small and barefoot, her pale face surrounded by undulating curls of rich darkness, a floating wave of black. The young delicacy of the face carried a barely noticeable shade of sadness. She was robed in a sleeveless dress of lavender that ended in a small ruffle about her knees. The girl seemed to feel Mimiru's scrutiny and quickly looked at Mimiru. Her short legs bent, her body poised to flee. "Oh, wait!" Mimiru called without thinking. The girl flipped around and started running. Her small flitted over the surface almost like a speeding violet blur, her hair flying behind her in a think fan of shadows. "Hey, stop!" Mimiru yelled, giving chase. To her surprise, the girl halted abruptly and turned slowly to look at her. Her blood-red eyes seemed to be trying to tell her something. Something hidden… Suddenly golden rings encircled the girl and she disappeared as she warped away. Mimiru blinked and stared at the empty space where the little girl had stood just a moment before. "Who are you?" she whispered, wondering why she wanted to know. She sighed, tossing her chocolate hair out of her sun-browned face with her equally brown hand. She glanced up, squinting at the mid-afternoon sun, its golden light momentarily blinding her sight. She looked down again. "I wonder," she murmured. "I wonder where Tsukasa is." Mimiru shook her head. "If I'm going to find him," she said, smiling wryly. "I've definitely got a rather large job in front of me." Mimiru looked out across the server of Dun Loireag once more before turning on her heel and walking away.

Silver Knight watched the muscles of Lady Subaru's back move as she walked her porcelain skin shining white against a colored background. He could almost sense the thoughts swimming through her mind. "Silver Knight?" the girl said, halting in her graceful movements. "Yes, milady?" Silver Knight said. "Do you…?" she said, turning to him. "Yes?" "Do you believe that I am leading the Knights as I should? With honor and justice being upheld foremost in mind?" she whispered. "Of course I do." "You probably feel obligated to say that," she said, looking away. Her amber eyes glanced around the familiar scene of Mac Anu, the City of Water. The counterpart of Venice. "Silver Knight, it's just that I…" "It's that rogue." "What do you mean?" "The way that Wavemaster, Tsukasa, is acting is confusing your sense of leadership. The boy is making you feel insufficient due to our failure of capturing him at this point." "No, that's not it," she said dismissively. But, deep inside, she wondered if it was true. She shook her head, her aqua, shoulder length hair shifting with her. She sighed. "Lady Subaru?" "Yes?" "How far would you go to capture this boy?" "What do you mean Silver Knight?" she queried. "Would you go to any lengths to capture…Tsukasa?" "Why do you ask me this?" Subaru asked, her princess face questioning. "Because, now that we have taken the liberty of putting a price on his head, if you will, we don't know if people will try and capture him. He may be hurt." Subaru looked at the ground. "I am afraid…" Silver Knight waited. "…that that is a risk we must take. The way this boy is acting is boggling the minds of even the System Administration. I do not wish him ill, but he is the one who chose to disregard the rules. If something happens, then…so be it." Silver Knight nodded, his smile hidden.

The man turned his head to the west, his long forest green forelocks held out of his face by an indigo headband turning with him. His burning eyes glanced at the paper in his hand, a wanted notice. "Those people in high places, always looking in all the wrong places," he said in an annoyingly singsong voice as he glanced at the sun. He looked back down, gazing steadily at the picture of the wanted boy for so long it seemed he was trying to get the boy to step out of his image. The boy seemed nice enough, silvery-white hair framing his pale face and his beige overshirt and brown robes hiding his innocent ivory skin. "Hee hee!" the man laughed. "So what are you planning?" The man turned. A blonde woman stood about three meters away, her emerald and white robe matching her earrings and headband. Gold shimmered about her arms and wrists as well. Her head was cocked to one side, her golden forelocks shadowing her sharp emerald eyes that looked at him with a slightly patronizing hue. She raised a blonde eyebrow. "Hmm, Sora?" She threw her staff upwards, the rigid indigo pincers at the end gleaming in the bright sun as Sora flipped backwards to land by her. "Boing," he said happily. The blonde rolled her eyes. "Are you going to answer my question?" He looked at her and grinned. "You should know by now that I answer only when I wish to BT," he said, still grinning. "Ugh," BT snapped. "You're such a r-" "A royal pain?" Sora asked, interrupting the blonde. BT muttered something under her breath. "Yes!" Sora said. "That's how I play it! Hee!" BT rolled her eyes again. "Are you going to answer my question?" Sora looked at her. "The boy shouldn't be too hard to find," he murmured, serious for once. "No," BT agreed. "Nor too difficult to deal with. He could only be about thirteen. Bind him with cords, wrists and ankles of course, and gag him and he's not that strong." Sora nodded, agreeing. "How shall we go about it?" he asked. BT smirked. "This is where I come in. I know…someone…who owes me a favor. This someone's also a Player Killer. " Sora raised an eyebrow. "Oh, no. They won't kill the boy. Besides, "someone" only kills very occasionally. Usually if the person totally ruined whatever he (not that it's not a woman) was doing in an important quest." "And this someone will capture Tsukasa for us?" "Yes."

"He's that young?" "Yes. Word has it that he defeated an entire squadron with that monster of his in five minutes." "Words say, words lie. Perhaps, perhaps not. However, this boy shall be my prize." "Oh, really? Watch yourself if that is your goal. However young he may be, this boy is dangerous." "Sure," the speaker said. She tossed her chocolate curls out of her face. "I'll be careful." "I'm serious, ya know." "Yeah, yeah," she said, dismissing her friend's worry with a wave of her slender hand. "All right, fool. But I warned ya." "Don't worry 'bout me. I can take care of myself," she said as she slipped a deep brown cloak over herself, hiding her long trim figure. "I'll be fine. It's the boy I'd worry 'bout." She fingered a couple of lengths of tan rope with her equally tan hand. She placed them inside the deep pocket of her robe along with a cloth. Her chocolate eyes glanced up at her friend. Her companion looked back with her penetrating icy blue orbs. She nodded once. The girl nodded back as she turned and walked out the door. "Good luck." The girl smiled as the call came to her ears, a bit of warmth in the ever-teeming darkness of The World.

Tsukasa watched the girl as he had so many times before floating above her bed, her simple white dress weaving about her knees and her pale curls flowing and undulating in the still air, hiding her child's face. Tsukasa watched the sleeping girl. The light-colored field he was in smelled of fresh cherry blossoms. He would have sworn he could taste them, dancing across his tongue. He shook his head and looked down. "What should I do?" he asked. "Tsukasa." He looked up. "Who is it?" "Go ahead." "What do you mean?" "Go ahead and I shall protect you." "B-but what should I do?" "Contact Mimiru." "But the…Crimson Knights are guarding the gate." "Don't worry, Tsukasa. Believe in me. Besides, your guardian is with you." "My guardian," Tsukasa said softly. "My guardian." "Tsukasa. I shall bestow another power on you. Use it well." Tsukasa smiled in a slightly smirking fashion as he felt a wave of warmth suffuse about him, encompassing his contours comfortingly.

Red. Like blood. So red. Mimiru could not get those eyes out of her head. They had bored into her very soul, it seemed. Mimiru frowned in irritation. Why did she care about that girl? She knew. Those eyes hid something dark and the deepness of the desolation that had laid there had seeped somewhere deep within her. "She reminded me of…" Mimiru whispered. "…Tsukasa." Suddenly, she bumped into something. "Ouch," she muttered, rubbing her arm. She looked up. "Oh, sorry Bear!" she exclaimed. "That's fine, Mimiru," he said, looking surprised at running into her. (no pun intended) He looked at her for a moment. "You look like something's troubling you," he said, sounding concerned. "What's wrong?" "Huh? Oh.." Mimiru looked away, embarrassed. "Nothing really." "Hmm." Bear didn't seem convinced. "So is anything happening with Tsukasa lately?" "No," Mimiru said. She sighed exasperatedly. "I try emailing him but he doesn't answer. It's almost like he's ignoring me." She looked slightly sad at that last sentence. Suddenly, she looked angry. She teetered forward, rather like a bull ready to charge. "I'm tired of this!" she exclaimed. "I'm tired of being twisted around his little finger! It's a waste of time! I don't care…where he is or…or what in the world he's doing! I am so over this!" "Why doesn't he contact me?" she muttered. "A little contradictional, Mimiru?" Bear asked, smiling. She sighed again. "I'm just worried," she murmured, putting her hand over her forehead, the chocolate brown locks falling into place over her fingers. "But why…am I so worried…about him? I mean, I'm sure he can take care of himself." She folded her arms across her one-strap chest armor, closing the cerulean bubbles that were her eyes. "You're probably right," she heard Bear say. "But, hey, if you like someone, you're going to care about their well being." "Like?" Miriru said vehemently, opening her eyes to the world. "I do not like him. He's a major pain in the neck. Humph!" "Okay," Bear murmured. "Sorry." "It's fine," she said stiffly. He nodded once. "So…" "Look Bear, I'll catch up with you later, okay?" Mimiru said. "All right." Mimiru turned and walked slowly away. The grass of Dun Loireag blew in the wind, brushing annoying at any chance. "Like him…I don't like him…don't care…not my problem…but I can't stop…oh email me would you!" Mimiru spoke in incoherent snatches of phrases as she walked. Suddenly, a beeping interrupted her tirade. She halted. Her face brightened and her mouth curved into a smile, making her look like an enchanted fairy child. Her screen told her she had mail. Mail from… "Tsukasa!" she chirped and clapped her hands together.

The lightning arced across the sky, lacing it with shoots of electric yellow. The sky was a deep gray, cold and unwelcoming. The wind blew, quick and strong, across the field, pieces of dirt scattering before it like servants before their honored king. The boy shivered as his silvery hair was whipped across his own face in stinging slaps. His dark eyes narrowed until they were slits in his ivory face, his lips pursing tightly as his robes billowed out like streamers of beige and brown. He tapped his foot impatiently because, whether she could feel it or not, he was cold. "Why did I ask Mimiru to meet me here?" he thought dismally. "Hi, there!" a clear voice called. He started slightly at the sudden sound in the silence except for the wind. Mimiru carefully picked her way until she was standing in front of him, a noticeable brightness shining in her cerulean eyes. Tsukasa carefully set his staff in front of him, almost like a guardian. Mimiru glanced at it, eyebrows raising, but refrained from comment. "So, what did you want to meet me for?" Mimiru asked. Suddenly, the wind died, making her last word rather loud against the silent background. Tsukasa opened his mouth to reply but, all of the sudden, he realized he didn't know. The "voice" had told him to contact the skew-browed girl before him, but he wasn't acquainted with the reason yet. He shrugged. "You don't know?" Mimiru asked, perplexed. Tsukasa scuffed the toe of his loose brown boot on the ground. "Just to talk, I guess," he mumbled. She drew a deep and rather loud breath. "Do you…want to talk with me?" The sudden question stopped what Mimiru was going to say immediately. She blinked. Tsukasa looked down at the ground. "Sure I do," Mimiru said. "I've only been emailing you like 20,000 times." "You…mailed me?" "You didn't know?!" Mimiru asked, a little shocked and slightly annoyed at the same time. "Sorry," Tsukasa said softly, his tone icy. "But when you can't logout, the term mail doesn't mean much anymore." "I suppose not," Mimiru murmured. Tsukasa lifted his head. Violet and blue eyes met then snapped down to stare at the ground. "So, what's up with the Crimson Knight thing?" Mimiru asked, trying to start the conversation again. Silence. "I guess you don't want to talk about it," Mimiru said. "Mimiru?" She jumped at the sound of Tsukasa's soft but warm voice. "Y-yes?" "Walk with me?" he said softly. Then he turned and ambled away without waiting for a reply, the butt of his staff making tandem gouges in the dirt. Mimiru blinked then hurried to catch up. They walked in silence, alone, unharried, and their faces down. Silence. When Mimriu finally said it was time for her to logout, they had hardly spoken at all. The intent had been there, but once again was unfulfilled. "You're going to logout?" Tsukasa asked, his voice unnaturally wistful. Mimiru nodded. "We didn't talk much, did we?" she asked smiling. "I suppose not," Tsukasa said, glancing sideways uncomfortably. "I understand. Sometimes silence is better for the soul than words." "Doesn't matter anyway," Tsukasa muttered. Mimiru frowned slightly, some of the irritation she had been feeling lately flaring up. "Yes, it does matter," she said, her tone hard and her eyes fiery. Tsukasa looked back, as much ice in his eyes to quench the fire in her's. "Never mind, then," he grumbled. Mimiru rolled her eyes. "Old habits die hard," she thought. "Well, I'll see you around," she said. She turned and commenced walking away. "M-mimiru?" She turned slightly, looking at him over her shoulder, her cerulean eyes puzzled. "Um…thanks for coming," he said awkwardly. She smiled. "You're welcome." And she proceeded to logout, warping to the Chaos Gate.

"Bingo," the girl said as she observed the silver-haired boy watch the Heavy Swordsman disappear.

A/N: And that's the first chapter! I'm sorry nothing much happened, but don't forget about that girl Mimiru saw. She is very important. So long for now and please review! Thanks for reading!