.hack//Legend Of Twilight Bracelet Fan Fiction ❯ Sakura Blossoms ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

Warning: highly excessive swearing, violence, and mildly mature humor.

BELIEVE ME, I AM AS PISSED AS YOU ARE THAT IT TOOK ME ANOTHER MONTH TO UPDATE. Okay, as you should have gone to my profile and looked at the update/news/etc. Section and learned that I left this chapter at my grandma's purely on accident, I went there Thursday night and discovered that the disk I had tried to save it on totally ruined the chapter. It went from Chapter Eleven to something like @(J(AKHDA*39KLHD)933kl#@ or however the stupid little codes go. Believe me, I was extremely pissed - mainly because it was a very very very very very very long chapter, and for a reason you'll soon find out. Okay, so onto the original note I had for it without the... complaint..

I'm b-a-a-a-a-a-c-k! okay, lets get straight down to bees wax here. This chapter, because I love you guys, is ... about..., -looks at word count- a little over 7000 (7055) words of story text.

What I really want to say (or ask) is has anyone tied anything from past chapters in the beginning to this? Something that gives you a clue to finding answers that could help? Anything...? And there is something... something that I will reveal in this chapter...

Also, complete Italics (multiple paragraphs, complete sentences) are flashbacks - of which there will be quite a few of. And, it will only happen about 2 -5 times in this, but italics will also be when a voice is heard in the mind of another's. Be prepared, lol.

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Last Chapter “I'm suspending both your accounts until I decide its safe for your return.”

 

-Chapter Eleven-

 

Kara no sneered at everything in the room. The drape, the chandelier, the torches and the ridiculously lively flames atop them, the annoying red sphere floating in the center of the room like it belonged and was created by some god.

 

“I want you to retrieve Korosu for the last part of the plans.”

 

It still echoed in her mind. After Shi had shoved the girl Kayane, of which Kara No was beginning to rethink her first impression of and playing with the idea to side with Kayane, Shi showed no hesitation in ordering her around like she was a mindless fool.

 

“I'm sure that attaching the data extracted from her by the Cnacehne to Korosu will stabilize the plan and kill two birds with one stone. It will surely finalize our plans and we will complete what we've been focusing on for a long time…Unless he kills Kayane himself and destroys the link, Korosu will be invincible. He must destroy the silver haired twin blade first, then crush the elder sister, which will erupt anger and the possibility to persuade two and our allies, they will be…” (1)

 

Quite stubbornly, her mind was refusing to think up words and phrases adequate enough to fulfill her urge to demean every thought of Shi she had once believed.

 

Now, she wasn't so sure that all the plans, goals, dreams, and hopes that Shi had fed to her, quite stupid and improbable, when she thought deeper about it, were actually what he wanted to accomplish all along. She wouldn't put it past him, especially then, for it all to be a lie simply to draw her to follow his orders.

 

And, like the fucking idiot she believed herself to be, she obliviously obliged to the horrific deeds from the very beginning, when he'd come up to her years before and said that he knew of a way to exact revenge on her family; the ones who had abandoned her.

She was a bigger fool than she should have been at nine years. It was pathetic - unbelievably pathetic…

 

Oh why was she resorting to self pity now? Hadn't she dealt herself enough depression in her life already?

 

At that moment, after standing still for an amount of time she couldn't determine the length of, she raised a hand to the sphere of swirling, fiery colors that were seemingly trying almost effortlessly to entrance her. Needless to say, despite all that she knew - or the lack of knowledge, in her case - and despite the slight fear of it that had been growing upon first sighting the object, it was working. Albeit slightly, but working.

 

“If I try to side with the five of them, Shi will have my head. Gods, I fucking hate my god damned mind.” Grasping her sheath, katana safely settled inside, she unwound the ribbon around the handle and stared at it in her hand before lowering the tip above the Cnacehne. “Hell will seem like a freezer after Shi gets his way, I'll bet. Hell will seem like heaven…”

 

(-)

 

“No.”

 

No matter how much Anissa persisted and bugged and aggravated the living daylights out of her sister, nothing seemed to make the calm, collected voice rise above that of a dull tone.

 

After hearing the same tone and the same word, and nothing more than just that tone alone and that word alone, regardless of how many different variations of her questions, remarks, and demands she made, Anissa was positively beginning to become bored with anger bubbling on the surface.

 

Why wouldn't her sister just oblige to her commands and answer her god damned questions?

 

“All right, I'm giving you one more chance, Kayane - Let me see you're arm.”

 

…

 

Would her sister actually reply differently for the first time that day…?

 

“No.”

 

Damn… her… to…

 

“Fucking hell!” she whined, standing up from kneeling beside the couch that her sister was currently sitting casually on. Though, no matter how much evidence her sister would eerily, and most likely come up with, Anissa would never admit to the fact that she - the most stubborn, and pride driven girl of all her friends - had gotten on her knees to beg her sister for her compliance.

 

Nope, not ever; not even a batch of cookies could make her admit to it.

 

Although, she'd say it would be an entirely close call, if anyone would ask her.

 

She was ready pick up a pillow and begin whacking her sister with all her strength, then run for her life, when her sister spoke again.

 

“Since when did you decide to not call me by my given name? Unless I'm mistaken and got hit over the head, I distinctly recall my name being something along the lines of `Alyssa', not Kayane.”

 

Oh fuck…

 

Did she really call her sister Kayane…?

 

When you start calling people you know in real life by their names in a game, that's when you know you've become entirely obsessed with the game and that your life and happiness and mood officially depends on whether you play or not - and the events that happen around the game, Anissa thought, scowling at herself and her sister.

 

“Damn… uh… me…,” she cursed, her scowl forming into an apologetic and slightly crooked smile that was meant to put on a show of slight embarrassment.

 

She was half expecting her sister to look up at her from the book she was reading and raise an eyebrow her way and half expecting her sister to ignore her completely and go on with reading.

 

In other words, she wasn't expecting her sister to grab the nearest pillow, shove it in her face then quietly and amusedly say, “Is that proof enough to you that my arm is fine? Or do I have to initiate an all out pillow war on you to convince you?”

 

What sent a nervous laugh up Anissa's throat and out of her mouth was the slightly mischievous grin her sister had set on her face, and a grin alone was something that Anissa seldom saw on her face.

 

It was quite unnerving…

 

Well, almost.

 

“Uh… I don't know which I'd rather have - getting whacked and knowing you're okay, or not getting whacked and not knowing for sure that your arm is okay.”

 

The grin Anissa had been eying cautiously disappeared and she saw the usual line of seriousness and perceptiveness settle on her sister's lips as the mood suddenly shifted.

 

“Just believe me, Anissa. My arm is fine. I'm not an idiot, you know that. I wouldn't risk serious injury and endanger any lives, or my own, because of my stubborn pride. I know when you back down and not let pride get the best of me.”

 

“Do you promise me?”

 

“Yeah, I promise.”

 

“Good. It's noon; everybody should be on about now, and Balmung said he might let us log in again. I think we should talk to him, don't you?”

 

“Couldn't kill to talk to him, could it?”

 

“Well…” Anissa trailed off, a grin spreading on her face as she recalled a conversation the two of them had not too long before then. Two weeks before, if one were being exact, was the day everything had happened. “Maybe embarrassment could push ones heart to explode out of ones chest…”

 

“Calm and collected, remember? I don't get embarrassed.”

 

“Sure you do, you just hide it all the time,” Anissa grinned, sprinting to the other side of the room and jumping into a fuzzy chair that was a mix of purple and black colors all over. “Besides, you are going to try and convince him to release from our suspension from the World, right? You need to flirt like your bad self and make him want to `do you',” she snickered, shooting her sister a wry grin.

 

“I'm still a virgin.”

 

“I know that!” Anissa spat, a laugh spoiling her intentions to make her sister believe she was outraged by the idea that she was. “I'm glad you are, because I'll kill anyone who tries to fuck you.”

 

“Thanks, but I think I'll handle the killing job myself.”

 

“Or I would,” a new voice interrupted. “Anyone touches my baby girl; either of them; will be sent to hell, you two hear me?”

 

Anissa grinned at the sight of her father walking out of his bedroom door, hair sticking in wild direction, the same color blond that was her own, as he was wearing gray sweats and shirt-less.

 

“You know, if you looked like the dad's of most of my friends, I'd be embarrassed to have them see you shirtless, but you've got a six-pack, so instead, I want you to wear a shirt so I don't hear anybody going `God, your dad is so hot, Anissa', okie doke?”

He just sent her a side look as he scratched his head then turned his gaze to Alyssa, chuckling. “Oh, boy, oh, boy, what has she eaten now?”

 

“I ate sugar and chocolate!” She swiveled in the chair and smiled when she noticed that her computer had started up completely and that her instant messenger program had started and logged her in.

 

Ignoring the sound of her father muttering about how he forgot why he came out of the room then going back in and shutting the door, she scoured the list of names of people logged in.

 

Ah, the joys of having a sister who knew everything she didn't and had money enough to buy the program. Well, money enough to pay for an Internet provider, any ways.

“B-boy is on!” she shouted with a cheer, clicking the icon then turning to look as her sister pulled on a pair of combat boots. “Want to talk to him before you go out and bag all the leaves in the yard?”

 

“Doesn't matter; it's both your choice and his.”

 

Anissa stuck her tongue out childishly and then hit the web cam button. Did she mention that her sister also bought her a camera so she could talk and see the person she knew as well? And people say I'm not spoiled by her, she thought darkly.

 

Balmung's face appeared on the screen, as he leaned back in a leather chair in a perfectly clean room with highly expensive electronics set in various places. He was a rich kid - which made believing he was an eighteen year old C.C. Corp administrator easier.

 

Rich people always get what they want if the forked up a couple stacks of bills, though Anissa never thought herself as one to talk. Her mother was the richest woman in the town Hachinohe.

 

“Hey, Balmung, bu-u-u-ddy, what's up, my main man?” Anissa giggled, looking over her shoulder as her sister chuckled while muttering something under her breath.

 

Balmung laughed easily, his eyes switching back and forth between the two sisters. “Not much, Anissa, just acting the rich boy part and not doing anything for myself.”

 

“No wonder you're so carefree, then,” Alyssa murmured with a smile, raising her hand in acknowledgment and walking towards the door. “I'm going outside now, dad. Anissa's at the computer…”

 

“Wait! Talk to Balmung! Leaves can wait!” Anissa cried, holding her finger up to signal Balmung to wait and running after her sister. Grabbing her sister's wrist, she jerked her sister back to the computer, noting absently in her mind that her sister wore an old pair of messed up black jeans and a holy t-shirt under a raggedy black hoodie - which was probably the reason why her sister didn't entirely want to talk to Balmung at that particular moment.

 

Oh well, too bad for her.

 

“Damn it, I'm not dressed,” Alyssa scowled, shaking her head fiercely to move her hair out of her eyes and face.

 

“I would think that you would know that I'm not like that, you know.”

 

Alyssa turned to the screen. “Yeah, well, I don't care whether you see me like this, because you're my friend, but I do care about whether or not someone I don't know - like a friend of yours, for instance - might come through your door and see me.”

“But the point is - you don't know them and they don't know you.”

 

“That is exactly my point.”

 

“God, are you two married or what, man?” Anissa groaned, covering her face with her hands. “So, just ask him the question we were talking about earlier.”

 

“Are we off our suspension from the World, is what she wants to know.”

 

“Show me your arm.”

 

“God, you both act like the mom I never had or needed.” She pushed the sleeve of her shirt up nonetheless, holding it to the camera until he nodded his head to move it no more.

 

“Lift something, so I know it isn't a trick of light or anything.”

 

“Why would I intentionally hurt myself or risk serious injury,” she voiced, nearly repeating what she had said to Anissa moments before.

 

“Pride, stubborn, to show off, to test yourself and stretch your limits - I could go on.”

 

“I know my limits and I know how far things exceed my limits as well.”

 

“You never know for sure, that's all I am saying. But all right, I'll relive your accounts from the suspension, and I won't hesitate to do the same thing again if need be. That means when you're at anytime in any danger or Shi makes even a ghost of an appearance.” He smirked warningly, head tipped to the side with an eyebrow raised.

 

Alyssa could have sworn he was flirting with her; and would have allowed herself to think it if she hadn't remembered that they were most likely miles apart with cities upon cites between them in the country of Japan and that they would probably have to fly a plane to meet in person. Though, she held no doubt that Balmung could afford a plane itself to fly from where he was to her then back several times and have plenty money to spare.

 

God, being rich must be extremely handy sometimes.

 

“Thanks, I'll watch my back for red ribbons that suddenly grow legs and chase me, Balmung. Really, I will.”

 

“That's what I want to hear - that you'll be taking it easy. You getting yourself hurt has to be the last thing we need,” he smiled, sounding sincere. He crossed his arms as Alyssa crossed her legs as Anissa crawled on the floor to pick up something she dropped. “So, when are you guys getting back on - any specific time that you have or had set?”

 

“I don't know - we weren't sure whether you'd finally let us off or not after you'd already took your precious time and waited over two weeks, so we didn't plan on it and get our hopes up. Though, I'm sure, Anissa will get on immediately after she actually realizes that you answered my question instead of trying to catch a feather…”

 

“…She's trying to catch a feather…?”

 

“…Don't ask me why…”

 

“I got it! Take that, you brown little bitch! Ha! Ha ha, that was so hard!” Anissa stood up, brandishing a long feather in her right hand, and grinned. Glancing at her sister with a look or slight embarrassment then turning her gaze to Balmung, she frowned. “Why are you two staring at me?”

 

“… A feather, Anissa, you were chasing a feather.”

 

“So? It was floating all over the place and it was getting on my nerves, all right? Just leave me be, please? I feel stupid now.”

 

Alyssa and Balmung turned back to each other. “We're getting on now - she's going crazy without it.”

 

“I'll meet you at Sakura Blossoms, then.” With a nod of his head and a ghost of a smile, Balmung's web cam switched off and Alyssa turned to hit Anissa on the side of the head as she poked at something on the desk with the feather.

 

“Go get your headset; we aren't suspended anymore.”

 

(-)

 

“Hallelujah! Home! My home, I have returned!”

 

Anissa spun in a circle instantly after arriving at Sakura Blossoms, and then ran forward to hug everyone in sight; Balmung, Rena, Shugo, and one other person she did not recognize but embraced any ways out of sheer joy.

 

“I'm alive!” she cried out once more, letting loose of Rena then reaching out to hug the last person left - Shugo. “Do you see me? I have come back to you, Shugo!” she giggled, raising her arms and letting Shugo wrap his arms around her.

 

“My sweet, you have deemed me worthy to grace your presence with, I am overcome!”

 

“What a drama queen,” a voice neither Kayane nor Anissa ever heard before muttered, who wore a similar outfit to Balmung's with out the wings, darker metal, and with a more muscular build.

 

“And who are you?”

 

He turned to Kayane, looking down at her blankly before a grin erupted on his face. “I'm Tengaki. I'm a friend of Shugo's; we go to the same school together,” he replied, holding his hand out in a friendly manner. “And you are…?”

 

“Kayane.”

 

“Beautiful - Creative - I like it.”

 

“Pleased to hear it.”

 

“Come on! We have to go to a dungeon - I need to see a monster get its ass kicked and kicks a monster's ass myself. It has been way too fucking long.”

 

Anissa grabbed her sister's arm then the two of them disappeared, moving so fast it looked like a blur of black and white stripes.

 

“How long were they even here?” Tengaki muttered, slightly looking down to Shugo. “Not even five minutes, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, I know, but that's Anissa for you. She doesn't stay in one place for too long but she always comes back sooner or later…”

 

“I'm sure she does…”

 

(-)

 

Anissa both laughed and growled when her sister seemed to take advantage of the mood

and began to race her to the dungeon, both of them sporting looks of mischievous and relieved emotions. “Last one there has to stand back and let the other have fun for the first five monster portals,” Anissa challenged, looking over her shoulder as her shook her hair out of her eyes. “And has to buy a new CD for the other, too.”

 

You know what, Anissa?”

 

After waiting for Kayane to continue, she figured she was supposed to actually say something. “What? I'm going to kick your ass at this and give you the torture of watching me fend for myself while you're stuck on the sidelines and have to listen to music that you and I both love?”

 

“No, it's actually quite the oppos-- No, stop!”

 

Grabbing Anissa's shoulder, Kayane pulled her back roughly as she just turned her head to look forward, and her feet fell out from underneath her. “What the fuck is that?” she muttered slowly, staring at the sudden wall in front of them. When the hell had that gotten there…?

 

“It's a wall… And it's red.”

 

“No way. We just fucking logged back in, damn it! There is no way he could have known we logged in and set something up in time! He's a fucking stalking freak!”

 

“Amen to that. Let's go.” Kayane lifted Anissa up from the ground by the shoulder and pushed her toward the way they came, her eyes never leaving the digital wall that seemed to glow and be transparent; like a glass screen.

 

“Uh, go where?”

 

Spinning her head around, Kayane saw an identical wall blocking the way they came and she scowled. “Use your Sprite Ocarina.” Waiting a moment then looking down at her sister when nothing happened, she saw the open mouthed look of shock on her sister's face as they stared at each other.

 

“What the fucking hell?” Anissa screamed, breaking from the slight moment of stupor.

 

“Fuck, we're trap--” Stopping in mid-sentence, Kayane growled as a hand, one that she felt the sharp claws of, came in blunt contact with her back and propelled her forward to the ground on her knees. Slamming the brunt of her hands on the ground angrily, in a crouching position with her skirt hiked up past her knees, she turned her head swiftly to look over her shoulder. Behind her was a man with skin deathly white, eyes completely black and without anything to determine the direction he was looking, and a pinstripe suit with a red tie.

 

Did they send a fucking vampire after one of us this time? she snarled in her mind. Standing, she slowly walked over as the seemingly oblivious player, or monster, stared at the silver haired, violet clothed twin blade girl in front of him was poised to attack.

 

When reaching a distance of ten feet away, his head turned sharply to face her, his movements short and jerky, as if reacting to movement rather than sight and waiting for another sound for confirmation of positions.

 

Faster than her eyes could comprehend the data, the monster flew at her and struck the side of her face, sending her body crashing into the wall, head first.

 

Quickly, with a bare seconds pause after throwing Kayane, he lashed out an attack on Anissa, reaching her side faster than she could see and lowered his arm into a curve. Pulling it back then releasing it, he struck the younger sister in the stomach then moved to knee her in the face when a black cloth covered his eyes, face, and ears along with a weight on his back. Mere moments later, a blade, a short one, entered the area of his stomach.

 

Reaching up and pulling off the interference on his back then throwing to the ground and stomping, he leaned back as he heard a blade cut through the air in a whisper and near his face.

 

Grabbing Anissa's neck as she cursed loudly and repeatedly, he lifted her off feet and cocked his head to the side inquiringly, holding his hand out to Kayane as she stood tense, watching him with narrowed eyes.

 

“Go to hell, fucker,” Kayane muttered, flexing her fingers, then letting her arms drop to the side silently. She watched as a smile very slowly crept onto his face and he turned to her, his movements fluid and not graceless.

 

“Well, why should I?”

 

“You're with Shi, that's why!” Anissa snarled, bringing her legs up and twisting his head between her feet and wincing at the sound of a quiet but disgusting pop.

 

Letting loose of her neck, he raised his foot and kicked her side before her feet touched the ground, grabbing the collar of her violet shirt, and pulling her down to the fleshy floor of the dungeon. “And what does that have to do with the matter?”

 

“You're attacking us when we've done nothing to oppose you. And we don't even have an idea of what your name is, either.”

 

“Ah, but it is Korosu, and you have indeed done something to oppose me. If you strike a resistance to my master, it is shaming his name as well as my own. I've nothing to do but to repay you for your condolences.”

 

“God, he's ancient!”

 

“No, I am merely informed and highly educated, little girl. But, then again, that is probably what you would call ancient anyways, isn't it?”

 

“No, it means you are old and talk like you were born in 1907!” Anissa spat, slowly raising herself to her feet as he continued to hold out his hand in Kayane's direction and stare down at her. “Don't take me for some sort of a fool.” She looked over her shoulder at her sister briefly, merely to see if she was doing anything besides standing and turned back to see Korosu smiling wider than before.

 

“I wouldn't worry about your sister. I'd worry about yourself. I'm going after you first.”

 

“But you're not going to lay a hand on her unless you kill me first,” Kayane interrupted.

 

“And vice-versa, dude!” Raising her knee, Anissa attacked Korosu's stomach then clasped her hands together and brought them down on his head, biting a twin blade between her mouth.

 

Smiling briefly at Anissa's ability to keep her talkative and blunt nature even in battle, Kayane moved forward, executed a roundhouse kick then unsheathed her blade and swung at his neck furiously.

 

Throughout the series of movements, Korosu kept still, not performing any defense and letting them strike him until the younger moved to attack again. He grabbed her wrist, twisted it behind her back, then took her blade from her hand and used it against her, leaping away from Kayane in the same motion.

 

Crying out as she felt her own blade cut through her skin and she found herself on the ground on her stomach, Anissa winced at the sound of her depleting hit points.

 

Only three more serious hits and she was dead.

Oh, fuck.

 

(-)

 

“I really don't know whether or not I believe that the two sisters are being so easily defeated. Of course, they aren't fighting to the true potential that they don't know they have.”

 

He would have continued if he hadn't know that he was not alone. Ignoring their arrival without a word would cause an accidental murmur that would not be meant for either Kuroi's or Kara No's ears.

 

Shi looked over his shoulder with a mischievous smile, his gaze flickering to Kara No, then to Kuroi. “I trust you enjoyed your little skirmish with Balmung. He seemed to have given you a bit of a challenge, did he not?”

 

“Hardly. It was merely amusing to see the great and legendary warrior struggle and get frustrated. I only wonder if worry caused his full ability to deplete below full potential or increased it.”

 

“As do I.” Shi turned back to the screen of transparent material before him, watching as his follower, Korosu, made easy play with the two sisters, dancing around them and their attacks with almost unbelievable grace and speed.

 

Adding even a small portion of Kayane's essence, along with the larger portion of Anissa's from the ribbon left over from her battle with Hitori de, to Korosu nearly tripled his strength and, while he would be more than just a little disappointed, Shi wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if one, or both of the sisters ended up dead, not comatose, dead.

 

He hoped they wouldn't let themselves be killed at the hand of one of his meek followers and work together to defeat the programmed character. But, most likely, one would try to protect the other and prevent the other from receiving as much damage as possible and end up jeopardizing both their lives.

 

Shi didn't send Korosu to test them as he had done with Hitori De, strict orders to not injure deeply, and Shizuka Na, to stress as much as possible; he sent him to either kill, or be killed. The battle was in the favor Korosu as he continued to toy with the toy sisters, challenging the levels of their anger and self-control, then, after a few sneers, he would land a blow with his ax on the younger and simply hold the older down with the effect of a spell.

 

Laughing when Korosu finally became fed up with battling the two at once and trapped Kayane in a small barrier of some sort, Shi crossed his arms leisurely. Lazily smiling, he watched it without a word afterwards.

 

Unbeknown to him, Kara No teleport out of the room after bowing shortly and letting herself express a look of distaste and anger at Shi's back.

 

Why does he enjoy torturing them so much when all it means is that he is wasting time, letting the others get closer to finding them, and risking the possibility of them getting free, not logging on for however long it took for them to recover, and waiting even longer? He's a bigger fool that I ever dreamed of him to be, Kara No scowled mentally, briskly walking down the hall of a dungeon she could sense Balmung, the twins, and the newcomer to be located. And he's a big enough fool to believe I wouldn't discover him sooner or later.

 

“I had better not get the crap beat out of me,” she murmured in a low, singing voice. Faintly, after finally becoming within sight distance of them, she could hear their voices in a quiet chatter.

 

“God, I really hope they had just gotten carried away and are ignoring, or even oblivious, to us emailing them and stuff. I highly doubt it's possible that Shi has already set up a trap for them after not even five minutes of being logged in. They wouldn't even be ready to even defend themselves from a surprise attack.”

 

Rena, Kara No thought, noting that the white haired heavy blade didn't sound as convinced as her words tried to portray.

 

“But what if they aren't?” the taller, more muscular male heavy blade chided, swinging his blade up to rest on his shoulder cockily. “You guys said this dude was some batty piece of shit, so I wouldn't begin to underestimate him on any level, you know.”

 

Time for her to step in; she was at a safe distance where she could hear perfectly.

 

“Smart man. Because if you had underestimated him,” everyone turned to look at her “you never would have gone looking for them when they're barely holding up a fight against one person. If you don't find them, they come out worse than just comatose - or they might not even come out alive.”

 

Balmung and Shugo were the first to narrow their eyes and begin to take opposition of her. “And why, exactly, are you telling us this?”

 

Kara No smiled; answering that was exactly the thing she wanted to do at that moment.

 

“Because, now and forever, I don't like Shi. Or his plans; of which I'm sure were fake, and he needs to go to hell. Believe me or not, I don't really care, but I don't lie when I say that both of them are in danger. I don't know where exactly, and I couldn't find out completely if I tried. If you can, curse at Shi with every foul word you know, because he deserves it. Every last bit. He even rendered two kids comatose, not too long ago, and laughed while doing it. He needs to not get his way, for once.”

 

“And we should believe you because...?”

 

“I never said you had to, remember? Believe me or not, I don't care. But she's in a dungeon containing the key word Cinder and a battle word. Good luck.”

 

Please believe me.

 

And she logged out.

 

“I don't think I'm in the mood to be impassive today,” Shugo muttered, warping out of the area before anyone could respond.

 

“Neither am I.” And the remaining three followed.

 

(-)

 

“Fuck!” Anissa whirled around to glance at her sister and let out an incredulous, choked cry as she saw her trapped inside of a small barrier with a red wall like the ones blocking all possible exits.

 

What the bloody fucking hell had they ever done to deserve the pointless wrath of Shi?

 

Did they steal a piece of candy from him or something...?

 

“Go to hell, you bastard!” she cried out again, executing her most used attack: Triple X, and striking Korosu several times. Landing on her feet, she ran toward the barrier and raised her foot to land a roundhouse kick. “Same time and spot, got it?”

 

Without responding, her sister complied and performed the same move, both holding their feet in the same spot relentlessly.

 

Korosu watched in a sitting/leaning position on the floor as the two sisters looked nearly identical and moved in sync with each other, performing perfect harmony between the two. Both of their faces had the same look of determination, no sign of their concentration wavering or anger rising anymore. Standing, his eyes widened as they both simultaneously raised their other foot, hit the barrier and broke it; the eyes of the oldest were black and the eyes of the youngest were completely white.

 

Recovering their balance and regaining their standing positions, both turned to him as one, bending their knees and reaching for their blades as if with a physical and psychic connection between the two.

 

“I think it's time for you to leave, Korosu,” the eldest seethed, her grip on her katana knuckle white.

 

“I agree.”

 

Kayane leaped while Anissa ran, both of them pulling their blades back as far as possible and swinging with all their strength from both sides.

 

Ducking, Korosu decided quickly to evade to blade of the oldest, which was more likely to be the strongest, and opted to bear the force of the younger's. Wincing as he felt the small twin blades enter his stomach and dramatically change the amount of life he had remaining, he grabbed her wrist with one hand, her thigh with the other, and threw her onto the other sister.

 

“You must think I am some fool!” he snarled, taking Anissa's neck tightly in his hand then giving a quick, sharp shake before letting loose soon after.

 

“You are if you're one of Shi's fuck-”

 

Anissa was cut off by the sound of several people coming in through the doors that they were trapped from. Turning her head to look to the right, along with Kayane, who was in the middle of taking a step with her blade raised, and Korosu, who held the sneer on his face even as he turned to view the intruders.

 

“Anissa!” more than one person cried, just before Anissa could comprehend the looks of shock and fear on their faces. Turning her gaze back to Korosu, she saw him quickly drawing his hand and ax back, snarling as his eyes changed from black to blood red, and swung to hit her quicker than she could widen her eyes.

 

Anissa closed her eyes, turned her head away, and held out her blades in the form of an X to block the ax, and screamed when something both shoved and hit her shoulder hard, sending her stumbling back and to the ground. Opening her eyes, she went numb at the side of the ax meant to hit her was in her sister's stomach instead, pinning her to the wall, as she held her blade tightly firm while embedded in Korosu's neck.

 

The walls disappeared, all the life points she had lost were regained, and the others rushed to her side as she stared. Anissa watched as Korosu slumped to the ground on his knees, laughing quietly. “I was killed by the one thing keeping me alive. And I killed the one that had been keeping me alive. Ironic.”

 

Kayane's bangs fell over her eyes and her hands, now seemingly extremely small as the sleeves of her black jacket slipped down over her hand slightly, clutched the side of the ax with a death-grip.

 

Hearing one final swallow, Anissa listened as her sister swore quietly in a whisper once more, “fuck,” then faded.

 

“You guys won,” Rena murmured, staring at the scars of battle on the dungeon wall and the blade deep in the wall crookedly, then looking down at Anissa.

 

“But... no, god, no, Kayane. Kayane, wake up, don't you fucking play with me for the first time in I don't - Kayane, damn it, wake up!” Anissa yelled, seemingly to the ground. “Oh, god.” Anissa's player went frigid, the controller and head set put down, still turned on. “Oh god! Alyssa, you're bleeding!” she shrieked, then without warning, she logged off.

 

Cursing vehemently, the rest of them, Balmung excluded, logged out as well, not bothering to even return to a town and save, Rena crying the word 'comatose' just before she was gone.

 

(-)

 

Damn it, he cursed in his mind, finding himself more numb than angry at the events that occurred only two days before. He walked through the town, ignoring when player bumped into his shoulders or called his name.

 

He had not heard a word from anyone since after the hour afterwards from Tengaki on the condition of the woman he'd grown fond of but he knew by the lack of communication that it wasn't anything positive. He'd rather make an assumption himself rather than hear it said.

Needless to say, she was still comatose. The bleeding that Anissa had spoken of was both internal organs and from a sharp cut on the arm and stomach, from when her monitor had shattered. How it happened and why it didn't happen to Anissa was still left unexplained.

 

She still ended up injured, even after what he'd said to prevent it.

 

“You never know for sure, that's all I am saying. But all right, I'll relive your accounts from the suspension, and I won't hesitate to do the same thing again if need be. That means when you're at anytime in any danger or Shi makes even a ghost of an appearance.”

 

He didn't even know. They had been off to a dungeon before he could even catch a glimpse of where they were headed or even give them a warning about leaving without notification of where and when and with who.

 

If only he could do something to actually help instead of watching as Anissa and Kayane were repeatedly being attacked by Shi. Find out a clue as to who he was in the least bit. The two weeks that had gone by, he'd run searches on tracking the computer he used, validation emails, Internet provider, things such as that.

 

But all he'd come up with was nothing. He'd even searched for the ruby-eyed, black haired man that had shown up for a bare moment then disappeared to wherever the hell Kayane had been while fighting Shizuka Na, or whatever she had told him was the name of.

 

One thing he could deduce, something that went without saying, was that it all had to do something with the color red, the ribbons, and whatever it was that was linked to them, or linked them all together.

 

Red...

 

“He even rendered two kids comatose, not too long ago, and laughed while doing it.”

 

Oh, hell, he was a fucking idiot.

 

Red - Akai -- Akai Nami.

 

Why the hell was he even C.C. Corp Administrator if he couldn't figure that simple thing out?

 

Turning on his heel, he raced back the way he came and was at the Chaos Gate quickly, then teleported to Akai Nami.

 

Bracing himself for an ugly site and a wide, vast area, his mouth dropped slightly when he arrived at an area smaller than he thought an area could be made. It was only about ten feet walking forward but it was only about thirty feet from side to side; a stone statue of dove taking flight on either side. In front of him was a plaque; word engraved elegantly, and a small wooden board handing from the ceiling, water pouring down onto the plaque and emitted sparkles through out the small room.

 

Eerily, just before stepping forward, he heard a voice echo - whether it was in his mind or the room, he, wasn't sure.

 

The only way to save her is to read.

 

Doing as the voice commanded, he moved forward and looked down at the plaque. Narrowing his eyes, more in concentration than to see more clearly, he read the first line out loud. “Prophecy of Silver Moons and Black Clouds…”

 

"In the stadt Des Gottes, there will be a great thunder, Two sisters torn apart by
Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb"

“The fourth war will begin when the big city is burning

Earth shaking fire from the center of the earth will cause tremors around the new city.

Two great rocks will war for a time, then Naunen,

the creator of the flaming sphere, will redden a new river."

-Nostradamus-

 

“What is this?” he murmured, running his eyes over the inscription once more.

 

Now the Crimson.

 

Ignoring the voice once more, not paying mind to the fact that it sounded familiar to him, he looked up at the water falling down in a straight sheet of water. He was about to look away when he shifted his weight to the other legs and a shimmer caught his eye.

 

Stepping to the right and looking at an angle, he turned and saw words lit on the wall. What the hell did the two nine year olds stumble onto when they came to this place…?

 

…Crimson Death…

 

I carry these memories inside, thoughts of a soul colored by love…

See me grow wings and fly high, passions will die down below…

 

Silent black, the dawn… and time tells its tale…

Darkened blood, it flows… the forest receives…

 

Look within the dark as deep as you dare. There inside, you find destruction you seek…

I call out these prayers to the sky, heavy with thought, see your face…

 

He was about to read more when the sudden sound of footsteps alerted him back to awareness and he spun only to find himself alone.

 

“The only way to save her is to bring an end to the World itself.”

 

Balmung turned back to the wall, listening to the voice he heard, and found the lettering gone as well as the sound of pouring water. Turning to look at the plaque, he saw it completely black and unreadable, the water gone, and found the doves changed into the forms of battle ready hawks.

 

In place of the water was a sword embedded enough in the rock plaque to stay in place, the emblem of a long, thin feather, much like that of a quill, on the center of the blade with a shape of fire surrounding it. Reaching out, he clenched his jaw and let out a silent sigh, taking the handle of the blade in his hand.

 

“I can't let her die - Not like I did the others…”

 

She'll die if she doesn't come out of that coma soon enough.

 

“And I won't fail her, not this time.”

 

Upon the final word, flame erupted through out the room, followed by the voice that Balmung now recognized as Shi's.

 

And so it begins.

 

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

 

Did anyone make the connection between the ribbons, Cnacehne (Kuhn nay Shun Nay), the re appearing color red, and Akai Nami? None of my friends caught it...

Okay, WOW, that took awhile to write, and oh, fuck, it was long. I had to rewrite it all over again and it really upset me because I had it perfect the first time and this is horrible compared to the first. I wanted to cry when I found out that the disk I had tried to save the original on ended up totally warping and destroying and mutilating it. I got really upset because well, yeah. This story is my baby!

Look closely at the prophecies. That was not the whole of Crimson Death, or even the very first part. It's a smal section of it, and a small section alone in a random area. I found that part most suitable for this chapter.

This is the Second to last Chapter - Next is the Epilogue.

If the shoe fits, throw it out the window,
-Arisa Niwatari