[aug 05] [.hack] Whimsy

[yesthatnagia.livejournal.com]

[t]itle: Whimsy
[r]ating: PG-13
[w]ordcount:
[d]ay: august 05: Make up for that one: a courageous heart, a bare blade, and a long and yellow bow.
[f]andom: .hack.
(set generally around .hack//Legend of the Twilight; blends anime and manga canon)
[p]airing: pre-Balmung/BlackRose. Sort of.
[s]ummary: The World was never enough for her; it meant the entire world to him. She drifts away, he falls asleep at his desk. Two very different legends.
[n]otes: Somebody shoot me. Also, I gave Balmung his seiyuu's name, because I didn't want to think of one. And this is very, VERY weird and fragmented and disjointed.
[x]-posted: to _terzarima



i. queenrise

Hiss, shluck, thwack. Hiss, shluck, thwack. Hiss, shluck, thwack.

Rhythm. She has found a rhythm, arms and legs and body all moving. She sees, she moves, she strikes, and the ball lands exactly where she wants it.

Hayami Akira is fast on her way to becoming a tennis star. She thinks she might just be able to play centre court in Wimbledon someday. Each ball bouncing away from her solidifies this dream.

She is a knight-queen in The World, but that sugar-spun truthdream is not enough anymore.

It never was enough. Her friendship with Kite wasn't enough. Saving The World wasn't enough. It never could have been; even Fumikazu must admit that those dreams she never dreamed are hollow and foolish, and he is the one who is still attracted to playing.

So she practices her tennis and forgets the password to the Black.Rose@hikurume.co.jp account and soon she forgets entirely about The World.

She will be happier that way, of course.

Of course.

ii. upgrade

Paperwork. He never thought he would hate paperwork. He certainly never thought he would shirk doing it; online, he is Balmung (of the Azure Sky, though he isn't particularly fond of that epithet) and he is an angel. A knight in shining armour, really, but with this job he is now a king.

Sort of.

His coffee tastes strange, but he ignores the taste.

Sighing, he picks up a pen and begins to fill out the forms, slipping an earphone into his ear. The Altimit Corporation has finally released a portable music player; it is nothing to compare with the products of the long-bankrupt Apple Macintosh corporation, but Apple is bankrupt for a reason and the iPods are nearly impossible to find.

He actually finishes the paperwork fairly quickly. Now it's time to brainstorm events. He is aware that his taste in events-- and, even worse, his taste in rewards-- is considered odd by most Users.

The truth is, Balmung (oftheazuresky) enjoys his job. He wouldn't give it up for the world. Or The World. Even if being a SysAdmin means he doesn't get to play as often, he is still involved with the world, and that is what matters, right?

A deep sip of coffee to wake himself up, and the odd taste returns. It is more than just an odd taste, now, it is a deep burning sensation in the back of his throat.

The coffee mug drops from his hand, spilling onto the floor. The porcelain doesn't shatter or crack, but the sound as it strikes the linoleum is somehow very loud in his ears. The world spins and his fingers clench and unclench on the desk as he tries to stand.

His legs won't support him anymore. He pitches forward onto his desk. For once, he is not asleep on the job, even if he looks like it.

His breath comes shallow and slow, until it barely comes at all.

He cannot even lift his head to respond when Reki knocks on his door and calls, "Hiyama-san?"

Soon, he loses consciousness entirely.

iii. sterileville. like disneyland only not.

A car accident. Akira never thought it would be a car accident. That Fumikazu could be hit by a car! She always knew that buying him that scooter was a bad idea.

She never wanted to see him in the hospital again. As she moves into the lobby, she can't help but notice a young man who seems entirely too familiar.

It takes her a moment, but she lifts her hand and calls his name. "Yasuhiko!"

Yasuhiko turns to stare at her, and then finally nods in recognition. "Akira! BlackRose! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Akira nods. Ever blunt, she asks, "Why are you here?"

"Nobuyuki had some sort of an attack at work. He passed out. We don't know why."

"Nobuyuki?" Akira raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, that's right. You remember Balmung, don't you? That's Nobuyuki."

Balmung. Oh, right, the angel knight person. Akira thinks a moment before nodding. "Yeah. What sort of attack?"

Yasuhiko shrugs, but he looks anxious to get moving. "Reki didn't tell me. He just told me that Balmung passed out. He actually quit breathing for a little while."

"I'm here for my brother," Akira manages. "I'll... come check on you two after I see how he's doing."

Yasuhiko's eyes widen. "Is he--"

"--car accident," she says. "Nothing to do with that game."

Her tone changes when mentions The World, and Yasuhiko obviously notes it, but he says nothing. Instead, he nods. "I'd appreciate it."

And she is gone, in a flurry of much more fashionable clothes than she has worn in a long time, teetering up stairs to find her brother.

iv. interrogation

When he wakes, he sees Yasuhiko and a girl he doesn't know.

"What happened?" He demands, and Yasuhiko shakes his head.

"They say it was food poisoning. You had some sort of toxin in your system."

"Toxin?" His voice sounds wrong in his ears. Hoarse and strange.

"Either accidentally or on purpose, somebody poisoned you," the girl supplies. She gives a short, bitter bark of a laugh. "Who would have thought somebody would get that worked up over a game?"

"It's more than just a game," Balmung (oftheazuresky) snaps automatically, but it isn't that he believes it, it's that it's what he says to things like that.

Yasuhiko bites his lip. "Nobuyuki. What did you eat this morning?"

"Nothing." Nobuyuki frowns. "Just coffee. It tasted strange."

"You're supposed to eat, you know." The girl crosses her arms. "Legendary PlayerBalmung, poisoned. It's just not..."

"You know me? From The World?" He asks, lifting an eyebrow. His voice is still wrong and he hates that.

"I did. Years ago. BlackRose."

He, too laughs. His laugh is bitter also, He hates that, too.

v. sieg(e)

(six months later)

She never thought she would return to The World. Some girl named Rena had used a chibi-version of her avatar, and that irritated her immensely.

Her avatar's facial expressions are limited (Balmung hasn't upgraded her character animations yet; she doesn't mind) but she manages to smile at him.

He ignores the smile, instead striking out with that single thin sword of his.

She blocks, still smiling.

Their fight continues; she is not winning, but she isn't losing, either, and she is content with that.

He's probably going easy on her.

"Tennis practice," she says, "is tomorrow at four."

"I'll be there."

And that's the end of that.