.hack//PWNAGE
Title: You Know You Have to Quit the Internet When... You Live in Your Mother's Basement
Authoress: ria_chan
Fandom-Pairing: Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE - Kurogane/Fai
Disclaimer: I do not own TRC - Copyrights all to the respective owners. I also do not own any of the anime, manga, or games that appear nor the platform systems because everyone knows I have no sense of creativity…
Claimer: I own Riotz. He's an OC that has lived in the depths of my mind for a good four years. I figured Kuro-Chu didn't have enough ninja-skillz to be a true ota so I stuck him in. Yes, I do regret introducing an OC, please don't stick it to me/him so hard. (X_x)
Rating-Warnings: R - Themes, Heavy Language, Slash, Kuro-Violent Thoughts
Prompt: 100moods: #41, Frustrated; ficalbum: #1: The Kiss; 15_flames: #12, Mama Said.
A/N: {AU .hack//WORLD game majorly involved} Once upon a time, I had a conversation with snowaltz about cussing in fics. Well, this isn't a lemon yet and it contains a Helluva lot of cussing. (blinks) This fic is unapproved on the Waltzy® Fic-Cuss-O-Meter™ as it has broke the scale APPROVED by the new Waltzy® Fic-Cuss-O-Meter™ Version 2.0! Not even in the sexy way. Forgive me, master of the sexy-cussing art! (bows deeply)
LOG-IN REQUESTED. PASSWORD ACCEPTED.
‘Come on, Kurogane! There’s no way you can’t love The World! It’s awesome! Just one time, okay?’ Ryûô pleaded. He begged and pulled and cried and whined but to no avail. Kurogane just swung his nose in the air in an uninterested way.
‘That’s so uncool,’ Kurogane said. ‘What are you? Some twelve-year-old? We’re thirteen! There’s no way you’d be childish enough to actually go down the path of some loser who stays in their mom’s basement and plays video-games all day!’
‘They’re not just video-games!’ his friend protested with crossed arms. ‘It’s a whole new world on the internet! You can be anyone you want! Just try it once, okay?’
‘No,’ the younger boy stubbornly snorted. The red-haired boy gave up, massaging his forehead angrily.
Eventually Ryûô left, looking at Kurogane one last time. Hands were placed on hips in an aggravated way. ‘You know, in The World, your family wouldn’t be so screwed up.’
~O~
Kurogane sighed. Those were his roots - his childhood’s end and the beginning of maturity to what he was today. It had been twelve years since that experience. For the man, dreams about such a thing were quite unusual.
With a groan, Kurogane slunk out of bed completely against his will. He stepped onto his tired feet. He stretched first as he did every morning - first to the right, then to the left, then his whole back and then reached for the ground as much as possible. For his age he was in a damn good figure - twenty-five, handsome, muscular…one might say he was perfect! Girls swooned over him and even the queer men in the various clubs couldn’t restrain their adoration. Not only that - he was smart and held a well-paying security job. Kurogane had things made for him - easy, relaxed, and a whole swarm of fish just dying to go to the grave with him.
And then he opened his eyes.
It was his room - bare with nothing on the walls or shelves. He sighed. Everything was gone… The books on his shelf were missing and the desk was bare of the mundane objects. No one would have expected such a popular senior in one of the most prestigious universities resided in the very room. That very fact scared him - a lot. In fact, that fact scared him more than anything else in the world.
He began screaming like a little girl at the shock of his missing possessions. He ran down the stairs past a hallways lined with photographs of family members - three girls, a boy, a taller man, an even taller woman, two elderly women, and a dog. The hall way lined with a red carpet and the walls were off-white - same as always.
The stairs were made of a familiar wood. The humongous house he lived in was indeed expensive but not exactly his. It was-
“Mom! Where the fuck is my computer?”
A somber woman in her sixties was cutting raw carrots drenched in water on a counter. The light was bright and penetrating behind her, causing her and the white kitchen to blend in more than usual. “Oh! Sweetie! You’re up already! How wonderful! You know, with all of your sisters gone there really isn’t anyone around to keep me company anymore! I’m making you some cream of carrots right now! If you hang on a moment I-”
“My fucking computer!” Kurogane roared. “Where the fuck is it?” he demanded in a screeching voice. The tone ringed throughout the house, echoing in long hallways, empty rooms and well-decorated spaces. The walls vibrated and glass shook about - the windows, cups, china, showcases.
The woman frowned. “I will not tolerate such foul language, young man. Clean your mouth up or-”
“My-Computer-Now…” Kurogane sneered between gritted teeth and a cold sweat trailing down his nape. Emerald eyes fell upon the man again. An eyebrow poked up. “Please.”
The woman nodded. “Your stuff is in the basement.” Kurogane rushed to get his stuff but a hand caught his shirt before he could do so. “No,” the woman said, “You have an addiction, Kurogane. Don’t act like I haven’t noticed you skipping your classes or work just to play with that damn thing-a-ma-jig! You have a good head on your shoulders! What the heck are you doing play with such childish stuff? I thought you hated video-games? When you were a child, you thought they were stupid! I mean, when you hit sixteen and began playing the darn things, I thought it was just a phase. When twenty came around, I began thinking it was a form of regression but now…now you’re twenty-five! What are you doing still playing the thing?”
Kurogane sighed irritated. “The administrators are holding this huge competition in Talabithithiz Square in three days. I need to level up to 90 before I can change my class from a warrior to a ninja! I’ve been playing The World three days straight because they made me start from scratch when I got the new server! It’s fuckin’ annoying but I got to level 78 so far! I need special ninjustu skills to defeat the grand-master-behemoth because exactly seven years ago on the old server we fought a Red Dragon for the newbies when Hikari Server 3.4 came out! So by deductive reasoning, the past experiences, and a crap-load of expert-programming observation and editing, a behemoth is exactly going to be the grand-master monster at the end of the swarms of beholder and medusas so I need ninjustu skills, a crap-load of shuriken, and someone who can use some high-level magic! You know how hard that is to accomplish in one week? All the best magic-users are taken and a battle-wizard NPC is totally out of the question! I have to find a PC that-”
“I didn’t get a damn word of that, but you’re not playing,” the woman stated. She returned to her carrots. “You have an addiction to that thing. The basement is locked up and you’re not touching the darn thing before you straighten yourself up and get everything back together again.”
Kurogane groaned. “MOM!”
“Your cream of carrots is done,” the woman said, shoving a bowl in front of him. Kurogane glared, seeing as how the woman wouldn’t yield.
He would just have to be a bad boy tonight…
~O~
Mother was always asleep by midnight - it was just a rule. Even after his father left, his mother fell asleep by midnight. She would sit by on the couch and look into the empty fireplace for a few hours and then trudge up the stairs for bed at ten. Now was the perfect time. Sure, he had never picked an actual lock in his life, but he had done it millions of times before. While in high-school, most seniors pulled pranks by picking locks and setting cheesy hoaxes. Kurogane on the other hand, was way beyond that. He had already disarmed the highest-level chest in Might and Magic X and thus had no need to disarm his high-school’s. Instead, he hacked the system and failed most of the kids in his grade with exceptions to his friends, himself, and a few select others. Gah…most of them ended flipping burgers in MacDonald’s… He would have felt bad but they couldn’t even recite Link’s seventy-six different cries from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time alone! Since they obviously couldn’t do that, they deserved no right to work at anywhere else but MacDonald’s.
Kurogane found out that night that real locks were harder to pick than disabling treasure-chests. Still, such locks were no match for him. He crept inside the basement and flicked on the light-switch. He sighed in the most love-struck way upon the sight - three whole walls filled with video games ranging from the Genesis to the PS3. His up-to-date, brand-new, flat-screen personal laptop lay upon a desk just waiting to be played. He couldn’t keep his entire collection of games just stored on one so of course he had extra laptops to hold his other PC games! They ranged from love-games, to action, to cheesy-humor games… He had games in every language and absolutely ANYTHING that involved magic and-or ninjas.
He strolled over to his laptop and made a cross between a, ‘squish,’ and a, ‘guu,’ sound as he turned the power switch on. Kurogane was a gamer. He always had the new games and every new event that came online he attended. The new version of The World - The World server Delta, Version 6.5 - was just released and could only be won by those who won a special sweepstakes. The contest was bought and multiple entries could be sent. Kurogane figured he must’ve spent at least two-thousand-US-dollars on the sweepstakes alone not mentioning all the upgrades he paid for upon installation of the new server.
He connected to the internet. As he grabbed his headset, he wondered if he was a hard-core gamer. People always told him that but he never considered himself to be. He was like anyone else…right? He figured that everyone had an abnormally large collection of games ranging from retro-to-neo and handheld-to-platform. He shoved that thought to the back of his head and entered The World.
~O~
“Long time no see!” a tall man with slender limbs and tanned skin yelled. He called out through an open field with crisp air and blue skies. Kurogane grinned. This was why video-games were so fun - a completely different reality - anything you wanted - all bundled into reality. There could be sci-fi, murder-mystery, action, blood, love… He gagged.
“Yeah. My mom moved all my stuff into the basement,” Kurogane explained.
The other male’s golden eyes widened as his blond locks swayed in the gentle breeze. “You’re serious man? Dude! You’re hopeless now! You have the biggest collection of games and it’s official that you live in your mother’s basement now! Total burn! How are you going to ever get a girl?”
“Shut up,” Kurogane snapped, running now alongside his companion. They were now in a dessert terrain searching far and wide for a magic-user worthy of his skills. “You’re a bastard, you know that Riotz?”
The man smirked. “Am and always will be. Anyhow, I’m just joking. You still looking for a high-leveled professional to enter that competition with?”
“Hell yeah.” Crimson eyes widened with excitement as he sat on a large boulder to rest. He glanced about in hopes of just finding the person he was in pursuit of.
“Why don’t you just leave a message on a chat room or something?” Riotz suggested.
Kurogane’s scarlet eyes glared at the tanned male. “Fuck no,” he barked. “I’m not some loser who stays reading manga and fawning over inanimate people all day long in their mother’s basement!” he roared.
A golden eyebrow poked up with a broken smile. “…Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.” Kurogane snorted. “Anyhow, if that’s the case, I know a friend who’s really tight with a high-level Vampire. I’m sure she could introduce you. It’s even better, I hear he’s a delta user, too. There are only one-hundred-fifty people who won the delta-sweepstakes and you two are freakin’ lucky! I’m sure that’d be a good ice-breaker…and then you could explain your secret to raising the fastest horses in Harvest Moon…” A deathly glare fell upon Riotz. The ganguro coughed in amusement.
“What’s his username?” Kurogane asked, somewhat interested.
Riotz shrugged. “I dunno. He doesn’t log on very often unless there’s something he wants. He’s all over the major sites, though. I mean, all-over. He has hook-ups with all the admins. Anything you can think of, he can get. Don't know if he's a hacker or not but if it's online - you name it - he knows, has seen it, heard it and-or has it. All the inside scoop about updates, cheats, programming, up-coming systems and releases… EVERYTHING.”
“But he doesn’t log into The World often? The World’s, like, the biggest thing, though,” Kurogane mused. Riotz nodded and shrugged again. “Whatever I can do to win this damn competition.”
Blond hair nodded in agreement. “Right. I’ll talk to Hikariko. If you wait about an hour, I’ll get you into a private chat-room with him.”
Kurogane nodded. This sounded too-good to be true and fishy but he hadn’t found anyone worthy of his abilities. This had better be worth it… Damn chat-rooms. Damn head-sets. Damn basements…
~O~
“Sunday good for you?” Riotz asked again. Kurogane nodded. It was the third confirmation Riotz had asked and by now Kurogane was more than piss-angry. He had a mysterious someone to meet in two days and tomorrow, Sunday, he was making a midnight-run with Riotz. If this damn person didn’t work out, he’d be flat out in options. He glanced over at the clock. Exactly twenty-fours until that midnight-run… God-damn it, why did virtual reality have to own the true reality and why were women such bitches?
Riotz waved his hand in front of Kurogane’s eyes. The man refused to waver. It wasn’t until Riotz had attempted to connect their lips that Kurogane noticed his current zombie-like state. “What the fuck are you doing? Get off of me and back away you pervert!”
“I was just telling you! That guy who you’re supposed to meet in a couple of days, he’s gonna be there, too. So, uh, if you get in a conversation with anyone about the internet, I think his passport…it’s something obscure…like, Never-something. Oh, and there’s something about being alone, too…”
“Whatever.” Kurogane ignored the rest of Riotz rambling. Instead, he looked outside a window from their current perch. He saw people weed through each other in the crowds - they bumped and pushed and yet they were all going to exact same way. It wasn’t until Kurogane saw a white coat running around with blonde hair and waved hands in the opposite direction that he felt something change. The blond was screaming a name he really didn't care about into the mass of people. Though nobody responded to the name, the stranger kept at it. He brushed everything away for a few brief moments and deducted that would be the type of person he would fall in love with - someone who had absolutely no clue where they were, lost as can be, and running around the place for their companion. For a reason or another, he smiled.
~O~
He waited and waited and waited and waited and waited some more. He was fed up and about to leave and damn Riotz to Hell and fuck him off when he received the invitation:
You have been specially invited to Chat-Room ACA-100.
Your presence has been requested.
Accept or Deny?
Of course he accepted it. He clicked and found himself face-to-face with some funky blond. The individual was slender and sleek, dressed in white, fluffy coats and blue robes. His golden hair was bouncy and moppy and harbored eyes of the purest blue. A smile was plastered on from ear-to-ear. Kurogane immediately blushed upon seeing the mysterious someone.
“You…have a rather unique avatar. I’ve never seen it,” Kurogane stated nonchalantly.
The blond smiled in a psychotic way. “Thanks. I made it myself. It’s actually a replica of myself. Most people say you shouldn’t use your real image but I say screw them,” he giggled.
Kurogane nodded. “Same here.”
“Ah! You look like that for real? Hyuu… You’re quite a nice catch. You net often?”
“Never.”
The blond frowned. The room was dark with two plain seats. The setting changed to that of a restaurant instantly. “This is my personal web-space,” the man explained, “so be my guest and let me treat you to whatever your heart desires.” Kurogane blinked, staring at the setting skeptically before sitting down. “I’m Fai, by the way - Fai D. Flowright. My username is NeverEndingSolitude. Let’s swap e-mail addresses!”
Kurogane nodded, sending a message to the blond male’s account. “I’m Kurogane. Death-Sama_is_Here_972.”
Fai nodded. “So, Kuro-Rin works, ney?”
Kurogane glared. “What the fuck?”
An airy giggle filled the room. “You’re competing in the event three days from now, huh? I’ve been meaning to compete, but there’s no one worthy of my services. Stats?”
“No losses; Warrior, Level 87, 112380652 Exp. Points, specialty in katanas. Once I get to Level 95, I’m upgrading my package to Ninja. I’d be there already but I had to start from scratch with the new server.”
Fai nodded. “Fair enough. I’m stronger than you, though. Can you handle that? One loss; Vampire, Level 107, 10 Exp. Points, specialty in dark infusions. I’ve already upgraded, as you can tell.”
“You can’t be stronger than me with one loss,” Kurogane grunted.
Fai sighed. “Whatever. I don’t think I’ll be much help to you, really. I’m just a pretty face who’ll do practically any scandalous event. That’s what you want, right Kuro-Pi? A scandal? Something to get you on the top of the threads, forums, and chat-rooms?”
Crimson eyes blinked. “What the…? No. I wanna win this thing! There’s gonna be this huge behemoth at the end of the event and I wanna beat it! I need magic!”
Fai giggled. “My! You did your homework! Kudos for you!” At that instant, a plate of kudos materialized on the white, laced tablecloth. “You must be a high-level programmer! Well, although I’d team up with you right off the bat for that, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can’t use magic.”
Kurogane blinked in confusion. “But you’re a Vampire. Your specialty is in dark infusions - the ambiguous category for any type of magic!”
“Still,” Fai chimed, “I decided not to use it. Consider it my challenge for The World.”
Kurogane sighed. “Whatever. If that's the case, you’re wasting my time.”
As Kurogane wandered about aimlessly for the exit he heard Fai’s giggle. “The exit is the other way, Kuro-Bo… If you friend me, I’ll come see you no matter what. I’m not what you’re looking for, but I’d give you a great spin, I know it. Okay?”
Kurogane glared at the blond who sat sheepishly with an idiotically-happy grin. He hated this guy already.
~O~
Three days passed. Kurogane’s lack of sleep was showing. He had been studying, working, attending classes and juggling The World at the same time. For the lack of time, he was glad he hadn’t encountered his mother yet - she would have definitely found out if she saw the black bags under his eyes and the lack-of-sleep yawns. When he got fed up with searching of a PC-magic-user he’d spend his time gaining levels in World of Warcraft and Civilization’s fantasy expansion package. Online playing was fun only because you could beat the crap out of anyone you wanted and not get arrested for it. Still, that high only lasted so long. He changed his games daily with exception to The World.
There was only one day left until the big day. Although he hadn’t officially given up, Kurogane was convinced that this was the end of the line and he would not be able to participate this year. It wasn’t as if he wanted the prize - he already won a Fimbultrv Axe with Earth-Magic infusion before in a contest earlier that year. Kurogane just enjoyed being a celebrity among The World. He was ranked the thirty-fifth strongest in reality’s stats and was specially invited to Japan for a tournament among the best of the best. To be welcomed into such an honor yet not find a worthy PC magic-user was more than lame. The man sighed in a more-than-piqued way and turned on his newly-bought Zen. Music wasn't his forte but it was relaxing to hear something that seemed to describe you perfectly by people you didn't even know.
As any other day, Kurogane started his online gaming experience by weeding through his e-mail and deleting all that damn fan-mail. Such a hassle it was. The warrior-character was about to delete the whole first three pages of his new total of fifty-three pages when he found a familiar e-mail address.
From: NeverEndingSolitude@SanglantBraiser.com
Subject: Lunch under the Sakura Petals?
Kurogane blinked momentarily before recalling who that e-mail address belonged to. It was the very e-mail address of that damn wizard who REFUSED to use magic even though he was a specialist in dark infusions. Needless to say, he clicked on the e-mail.
Hey Kuro-Pon! How’s it going? It’s hard keeping atop all the newest trends! (hectic sigh) ANYHOW! You’re wondering what this has to do with anything… Well, I was reading about the newest addition to the expansion pack and found out that the ninja class has been bumped to the top. (hee) That reminded me of you so…I just wanted to leave you an e-mail!
If you’re not doing anything, how about we meet under the Sakura Petals in the Viola-Effrtz Park in the Neo-Danga Area? I’ll treat you to lunch! I’ll be waiting there even if you don’t come, just so you know. Come at your own convenience.
Hope to see you there!
XOXO.Fai
Kuorgane blinked. This was probably the first event that someone had invited him to under their own accord and not his avatar’s. His mouth bunched into a deep frown as his brows knitted up tightly. He replied to the message:
To: NeverEndingSolitude@SanglantBraiser.com
Subject: Crazy
What the Hell is that? You think I’d actually go to lunch with someone like you? Like Hell I’ll be there. Just don’t cry when I don’t show up. Seriously, what kind of idiot are you?
After his fingers stopped flying by, he sent the e-mail. He deleted all his e-mail and then saved Fai’s e-mail address under his contacts: Damn Wizard. After that, he made sure he saved Fai’s e-mail. He even checked the folder to make sure it saved properly. He bit his bottom lip and then wondered why the Hell he did that… Damn basement was probably just making him go insane…
~O~
Fai returned to his laptop shortly after. He had just gotten out of the shower when he heard his laptop ring. This certain ringing sound in particular referred to a new message from an important contact. He opened his inbox folder eagerly when a smile crossed his face. It was from Kurogane - that ninja-PC he met earlier that week. He had actually gotten a reply!
From: Kuro-Pon (Death-Sama_is_Here_972@MSN.com)
Subject: Crazy
After reading the reply, he smiled in dissatisfaction. His smiled curled upwards. Elegant fingers flew about the keyboards forming a quick message. The rest of the clicks and types were e-mail to, ‘clients,’ and e-friends and real friends. He smiled, saving Kuro-Chu’s e-mail for last. He grabbed his mouse, clicking, ‘Send.’
His wet locks of golden hair dripped. Pulling a white towel over his head, he dried his hair as he waited for a reply.
~O~
He had waited for ten minutes for Fai’s reply. It wasn’t as if he was actually waiting. He was just deleting every page of fan-mail one-by-one because he had never done it before - maybe it could be fun…
As he deleted the last page of unread fan-mail he received a new e-mail in his in-box:
From: Damn Wizard (NeverEndingSolitude@SanglantBraiser.com)
Subject: Even Saints were Bribed…
If that’s what you want, fine. It’s not like my conscious if going to be the one screaming bloody murder. But if you were still interested in that event, I’ll let you know that even I can be bribed. You know where to find me.
Kisses.Fai
Kurogane grunted in the most irritated way. He sent Fai another e-mail. It was much longer than anything he had ever typed or said to anyone but could be easily summed up in two words: Fuck You.
~O~
“So…You’re not gonna meet him?” Riotz asked, somewhat taken aback.
“Fuck no,” Kurogane grumbled. He crossed his arms behind him, settling his head on his palms as he looked up into the boundless sky. The possibilities were endless and yet he couldn’t even find a companion up to par with his ability…or willing to act up to par with his ability.
“Hey aren’t the Sakura Petals in the Viola-Effrtz Park in the Neo-Danga Area in the next area? If nothing else you’d get lunch!” Riotz offered in a laugh.
Kurogane mumbled a set of ten obscenities under his breath. “Fuck no.”
Riotz shrugged his bare shoulders. Today his avatar was that of an average-build male with short blond hair and a single green eye and a blue eye. “It’s not my decision. I was just saying. I gotta meet my girl in ten minutes.” He slinked over to Kurogane and slipped his arms around the ninja’s broad shoulders. “I didn’t know if Kuro-Yun was going to be okay without me…”
Kurogane stood up abruptly as he glared Riotz in the eye. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
The blond male shrugged. “Nothing. Just that Vampire you met has posted up a thread everywhere asking for romance tips. Everyone has been bugging him for a picture or the first memory he had with this mysterious someone but he refuses to tell. He just calls this person, ‘Kuro-Yun,’ so…I just assumed it was you.”
“You don’t know that,” Kurogane scowled.
Riotz nodded. “I know. But he’s got a reputation. Think of the connections. It might not be a bad thing to get to know him. That’s all. Now, I gotta go meet my girl, okay? Laters.”
~O~
Tonight’s goal of gaining a level was reached. Gaining a level when one is a Level 117 Ninja isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. He sighed in an exhausted tone. He needed to warp to three different areas before he could save. There were many ways to go about it, but Fai surfaced into Kurogane’s mind. Was he still waiting for him? It had almost been thirteen hours since the appointed time. If he waited there for a whole day, that’d just be insane. He figured he could warp to Neo-Danga as a shortcut and skip an area.
As the light wrapped around his body in a soothing way, the ninja glanced around for the Viola-Effrtz Park it was the only one with Sakura trees so he figured it wouldn’t be too hard to find it. As luck had it, he spent exactly two-hours attempting to find the damn park. He made a mental note that this would make fourteen-hours and forty-seven minutes past the appointed time.
Kurogane glanced about in search of the blond. He sighed, realizing Fai was not around. For some reason, that made him feel really crappy. The heat of the torched flames lighting the area was not helping, either. It was down-right pissing him off. He turned around to warp to the area where his log-out was destined. A hand grabbed his shoulder.
“Kuro-Ranran? Really? You did come!” a voice behind him chimed.
Kurogane’s nerve pulsated. “What the Hell do you think you’re doing?! How long did you wait? That’s insane! It’s late! What if someone jumped you, huh?” he roared with flaring crimson eyes. His black cape billowed in the wind.
Fai smiled brightly, immediately glomping the taller man. “Oh! Kuro-Chu was worried about me! That…makes me happy. I missed you,” the blond male squealed, snuggling in deeper into Kurogane’s chest. The ninja blushed furiously.
“What the Hell?!” Kurogane roared. “We only met once!”
Fai giggled in amusement, benting his eyebrows weakly. “Love at first sight? I don’t know…”
Kurogane blushed an even deeper shade of brilliant red. “You have to be joking,” he sneered through gritted teeth, ruffling Fai’s golden locks of hair unconciously. Fai shrugged. His eyes flashed an ice-blue - the sign of a save point. Red snorted before saving himself. He grabbed Fai’s waist afterwards. “You owe me lunch.”
Fai’s eyes glittered with hearts and stars happily. He chimed back a reply without hesitation, “Perfect! Tomorrow sound good? We can meet here or maybe a chat-room and then go from there…”
“I don’t do chat-rooms,” Kurogane reminded.
Fai nodded, gulping as he calmed himself down. He looked up deeply into Kurogane’s fiery eyes and smiled. “You saved, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. You’ll need it.”
Fai jumped up on his tip-toes, attaching his lips onto Kurogane’s chapped pair. The ninja gasped wide-eyed after the short peck parted. His mouth curled inwards before he swallowed hard. That was his first kiss. Even if there was no emotion behind it, he could feel the warm feeling and wet, moist, smooth lips against his own. His heart raced and he could feel himself being turned on by this…man. It was sick and yet he wanted to feel Fai’s lips against his own. Kurogane brought their lips together again.
“It’s a date,” he whispered hoarsely. Fai giggled in a high-school girl way, shifting in deeper into Kurogane’s embrace. Their lips yearned for each other’s mouth again. Soon they found each other. Just as they went to have another passionate kiss, everything went dark…
~O~
Kurogane opened his eyes reluctantly. When he opened them again, he wasn’t in the world. He was in reality. His stomach flipped. That really was The World…that was really where he…kissed…Fai. He gulped deeply before realizing his current state: Falling off of his gaming chair with an arm wrapped around his computer screen, lips pressed against the screen, legs spread apart and his other hand touching himself. He went a deeper red than he’d ever gone in The World. This was just wrong! On top of that, he was well aware that Fai was a man!
This only led to more blushing before he looked at the wall. He saw a shadow looming over him. He made no attempt to look behind for he knew who it was. Kurogane looked on the optimistic bright-side - something he never did - at least he had saved.
LOG-OUT ACCEPTED. NEXT LOG-IN REQUESTED.
Afterthoughts: It may not be very enjoyable to read, but I had a *BLAST* writing this. Smut scenes will be fun in this strand. (one of the few stories I'd continue for my selfish benefit) I really want to write scenes where Kurogane keeps getting Fai's nationality wrong when introducing him. (heh) "This is Fai. He's from Lithuania." "Ukraine." "Oh, yeah... Whatever." Okay, maybe that's not as funny to you as it seems to me, but I'd love to see the expression on Kurogane's mom's face as he introduces her to the root of all his sexual problems/assumed lover. Or things like Kurogane and Fai speaking sexy video-game lingo. (*o*) I'm just a freak...?
If you have an idea for themes (especially titles,) please share. (wrote, 'pleasure share,' before fixing it) x3 Anything you’d like to see, I’ll try to incorporate. I really don’t have a plot-line for after Chapter Two - even chapter two is in limbo since it's just an idea of a direction - so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. If you're really that bored, have nothing to do, and want to please me, a .hack//KURO (shot) fan-art would be much loved. (cooooouuuuugh) Anyone with l33t skillz want to try it out? XD Reviews of any kind keep me going even if they make my head swell up like a vegetable and make me feel like exploding. Please leave one if you have time! :3
~B.T.A. Ria-Chan is baking cookies! (nice and warm)
Authoress: ria_chan
Fandom-Pairing: Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE - Kurogane/Fai
Disclaimer: I do not own TRC - Copyrights all to the respective owners. I also do not own any of the anime, manga, or games that appear nor the platform systems because everyone knows I have no sense of creativity…
Claimer: I own Riotz. He's an OC that has lived in the depths of my mind for a good four years. I figured Kuro-Chu didn't have enough ninja-skillz to be a true ota so I stuck him in. Yes, I do regret introducing an OC, please don't stick it to me/him so hard. (X_x)
Rating-Warnings: R - Themes, Heavy Language, Slash, Kuro-Violent Thoughts
Prompt: 100moods: #41, Frustrated; ficalbum: #1: The Kiss; 15_flames: #12, Mama Said.
A/N: {AU .hack//WORLD game majorly involved} Once upon a time, I had a conversation with snowaltz about cussing in fics. Well, this isn't a lemon yet and it contains a Helluva lot of cussing. (blinks) This fic is unapproved on the Waltzy® Fic-Cuss-O-Meter™ as it has broke the scale APPROVED by the new Waltzy® Fic-Cuss-O-Meter™ Version 2.0! Not even in the sexy way. Forgive me, master of the sexy-cussing art! (bows deeply)
LOG-IN REQUESTED. PASSWORD ACCEPTED.
‘Come on, Kurogane! There’s no way you can’t love The World! It’s awesome! Just one time, okay?’ Ryûô pleaded. He begged and pulled and cried and whined but to no avail. Kurogane just swung his nose in the air in an uninterested way.
‘That’s so uncool,’ Kurogane said. ‘What are you? Some twelve-year-old? We’re thirteen! There’s no way you’d be childish enough to actually go down the path of some loser who stays in their mom’s basement and plays video-games all day!’
‘They’re not just video-games!’ his friend protested with crossed arms. ‘It’s a whole new world on the internet! You can be anyone you want! Just try it once, okay?’
‘No,’ the younger boy stubbornly snorted. The red-haired boy gave up, massaging his forehead angrily.
Eventually Ryûô left, looking at Kurogane one last time. Hands were placed on hips in an aggravated way. ‘You know, in The World, your family wouldn’t be so screwed up.’
~O~
Kurogane sighed. Those were his roots - his childhood’s end and the beginning of maturity to what he was today. It had been twelve years since that experience. For the man, dreams about such a thing were quite unusual.
With a groan, Kurogane slunk out of bed completely against his will. He stepped onto his tired feet. He stretched first as he did every morning - first to the right, then to the left, then his whole back and then reached for the ground as much as possible. For his age he was in a damn good figure - twenty-five, handsome, muscular…one might say he was perfect! Girls swooned over him and even the queer men in the various clubs couldn’t restrain their adoration. Not only that - he was smart and held a well-paying security job. Kurogane had things made for him - easy, relaxed, and a whole swarm of fish just dying to go to the grave with him.
And then he opened his eyes.
It was his room - bare with nothing on the walls or shelves. He sighed. Everything was gone… The books on his shelf were missing and the desk was bare of the mundane objects. No one would have expected such a popular senior in one of the most prestigious universities resided in the very room. That very fact scared him - a lot. In fact, that fact scared him more than anything else in the world.
He began screaming like a little girl at the shock of his missing possessions. He ran down the stairs past a hallways lined with photographs of family members - three girls, a boy, a taller man, an even taller woman, two elderly women, and a dog. The hall way lined with a red carpet and the walls were off-white - same as always.
The stairs were made of a familiar wood. The humongous house he lived in was indeed expensive but not exactly his. It was-
“Mom! Where the fuck is my computer?”
A somber woman in her sixties was cutting raw carrots drenched in water on a counter. The light was bright and penetrating behind her, causing her and the white kitchen to blend in more than usual. “Oh! Sweetie! You’re up already! How wonderful! You know, with all of your sisters gone there really isn’t anyone around to keep me company anymore! I’m making you some cream of carrots right now! If you hang on a moment I-”
“My fucking computer!” Kurogane roared. “Where the fuck is it?” he demanded in a screeching voice. The tone ringed throughout the house, echoing in long hallways, empty rooms and well-decorated spaces. The walls vibrated and glass shook about - the windows, cups, china, showcases.
The woman frowned. “I will not tolerate such foul language, young man. Clean your mouth up or-”
“My-Computer-Now…” Kurogane sneered between gritted teeth and a cold sweat trailing down his nape. Emerald eyes fell upon the man again. An eyebrow poked up. “Please.”
The woman nodded. “Your stuff is in the basement.” Kurogane rushed to get his stuff but a hand caught his shirt before he could do so. “No,” the woman said, “You have an addiction, Kurogane. Don’t act like I haven’t noticed you skipping your classes or work just to play with that damn thing-a-ma-jig! You have a good head on your shoulders! What the heck are you doing play with such childish stuff? I thought you hated video-games? When you were a child, you thought they were stupid! I mean, when you hit sixteen and began playing the darn things, I thought it was just a phase. When twenty came around, I began thinking it was a form of regression but now…now you’re twenty-five! What are you doing still playing the thing?”
Kurogane sighed irritated. “The administrators are holding this huge competition in Talabithithiz Square in three days. I need to level up to 90 before I can change my class from a warrior to a ninja! I’ve been playing The World three days straight because they made me start from scratch when I got the new server! It’s fuckin’ annoying but I got to level 78 so far! I need special ninjustu skills to defeat the grand-master-behemoth because exactly seven years ago on the old server we fought a Red Dragon for the newbies when Hikari Server 3.4 came out! So by deductive reasoning, the past experiences, and a crap-load of expert-programming observation and editing, a behemoth is exactly going to be the grand-master monster at the end of the swarms of beholder and medusas so I need ninjustu skills, a crap-load of shuriken, and someone who can use some high-level magic! You know how hard that is to accomplish in one week? All the best magic-users are taken and a battle-wizard NPC is totally out of the question! I have to find a PC that-”
“I didn’t get a damn word of that, but you’re not playing,” the woman stated. She returned to her carrots. “You have an addiction to that thing. The basement is locked up and you’re not touching the darn thing before you straighten yourself up and get everything back together again.”
Kurogane groaned. “MOM!”
“Your cream of carrots is done,” the woman said, shoving a bowl in front of him. Kurogane glared, seeing as how the woman wouldn’t yield.
He would just have to be a bad boy tonight…
~O~
Mother was always asleep by midnight - it was just a rule. Even after his father left, his mother fell asleep by midnight. She would sit by on the couch and look into the empty fireplace for a few hours and then trudge up the stairs for bed at ten. Now was the perfect time. Sure, he had never picked an actual lock in his life, but he had done it millions of times before. While in high-school, most seniors pulled pranks by picking locks and setting cheesy hoaxes. Kurogane on the other hand, was way beyond that. He had already disarmed the highest-level chest in Might and Magic X and thus had no need to disarm his high-school’s. Instead, he hacked the system and failed most of the kids in his grade with exceptions to his friends, himself, and a few select others. Gah…most of them ended flipping burgers in MacDonald’s… He would have felt bad but they couldn’t even recite Link’s seventy-six different cries from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time alone! Since they obviously couldn’t do that, they deserved no right to work at anywhere else but MacDonald’s.
Kurogane found out that night that real locks were harder to pick than disabling treasure-chests. Still, such locks were no match for him. He crept inside the basement and flicked on the light-switch. He sighed in the most love-struck way upon the sight - three whole walls filled with video games ranging from the Genesis to the PS3. His up-to-date, brand-new, flat-screen personal laptop lay upon a desk just waiting to be played. He couldn’t keep his entire collection of games just stored on one so of course he had extra laptops to hold his other PC games! They ranged from love-games, to action, to cheesy-humor games… He had games in every language and absolutely ANYTHING that involved magic and-or ninjas.
He strolled over to his laptop and made a cross between a, ‘squish,’ and a, ‘guu,’ sound as he turned the power switch on. Kurogane was a gamer. He always had the new games and every new event that came online he attended. The new version of The World - The World server Delta, Version 6.5 - was just released and could only be won by those who won a special sweepstakes. The contest was bought and multiple entries could be sent. Kurogane figured he must’ve spent at least two-thousand-US-dollars on the sweepstakes alone not mentioning all the upgrades he paid for upon installation of the new server.
He connected to the internet. As he grabbed his headset, he wondered if he was a hard-core gamer. People always told him that but he never considered himself to be. He was like anyone else…right? He figured that everyone had an abnormally large collection of games ranging from retro-to-neo and handheld-to-platform. He shoved that thought to the back of his head and entered The World.
~O~
“Long time no see!” a tall man with slender limbs and tanned skin yelled. He called out through an open field with crisp air and blue skies. Kurogane grinned. This was why video-games were so fun - a completely different reality - anything you wanted - all bundled into reality. There could be sci-fi, murder-mystery, action, blood, love… He gagged.
“Yeah. My mom moved all my stuff into the basement,” Kurogane explained.
The other male’s golden eyes widened as his blond locks swayed in the gentle breeze. “You’re serious man? Dude! You’re hopeless now! You have the biggest collection of games and it’s official that you live in your mother’s basement now! Total burn! How are you going to ever get a girl?”
“Shut up,” Kurogane snapped, running now alongside his companion. They were now in a dessert terrain searching far and wide for a magic-user worthy of his skills. “You’re a bastard, you know that Riotz?”
The man smirked. “Am and always will be. Anyhow, I’m just joking. You still looking for a high-leveled professional to enter that competition with?”
“Hell yeah.” Crimson eyes widened with excitement as he sat on a large boulder to rest. He glanced about in hopes of just finding the person he was in pursuit of.
“Why don’t you just leave a message on a chat room or something?” Riotz suggested.
Kurogane’s scarlet eyes glared at the tanned male. “Fuck no,” he barked. “I’m not some loser who stays reading manga and fawning over inanimate people all day long in their mother’s basement!” he roared.
A golden eyebrow poked up with a broken smile. “…Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.” Kurogane snorted. “Anyhow, if that’s the case, I know a friend who’s really tight with a high-level Vampire. I’m sure she could introduce you. It’s even better, I hear he’s a delta user, too. There are only one-hundred-fifty people who won the delta-sweepstakes and you two are freakin’ lucky! I’m sure that’d be a good ice-breaker…and then you could explain your secret to raising the fastest horses in Harvest Moon…” A deathly glare fell upon Riotz. The ganguro coughed in amusement.
“What’s his username?” Kurogane asked, somewhat interested.
Riotz shrugged. “I dunno. He doesn’t log on very often unless there’s something he wants. He’s all over the major sites, though. I mean, all-over. He has hook-ups with all the admins. Anything you can think of, he can get. Don't know if he's a hacker or not but if it's online - you name it - he knows, has seen it, heard it and-or has it. All the inside scoop about updates, cheats, programming, up-coming systems and releases… EVERYTHING.”
“But he doesn’t log into The World often? The World’s, like, the biggest thing, though,” Kurogane mused. Riotz nodded and shrugged again. “Whatever I can do to win this damn competition.”
Blond hair nodded in agreement. “Right. I’ll talk to Hikariko. If you wait about an hour, I’ll get you into a private chat-room with him.”
Kurogane nodded. This sounded too-good to be true and fishy but he hadn’t found anyone worthy of his abilities. This had better be worth it… Damn chat-rooms. Damn head-sets. Damn basements…
~O~
“Sunday good for you?” Riotz asked again. Kurogane nodded. It was the third confirmation Riotz had asked and by now Kurogane was more than piss-angry. He had a mysterious someone to meet in two days and tomorrow, Sunday, he was making a midnight-run with Riotz. If this damn person didn’t work out, he’d be flat out in options. He glanced over at the clock. Exactly twenty-fours until that midnight-run… God-damn it, why did virtual reality have to own the true reality and why were women such bitches?
Riotz waved his hand in front of Kurogane’s eyes. The man refused to waver. It wasn’t until Riotz had attempted to connect their lips that Kurogane noticed his current zombie-like state. “What the fuck are you doing? Get off of me and back away you pervert!”
“I was just telling you! That guy who you’re supposed to meet in a couple of days, he’s gonna be there, too. So, uh, if you get in a conversation with anyone about the internet, I think his passport…it’s something obscure…like, Never-something. Oh, and there’s something about being alone, too…”
“Whatever.” Kurogane ignored the rest of Riotz rambling. Instead, he looked outside a window from their current perch. He saw people weed through each other in the crowds - they bumped and pushed and yet they were all going to exact same way. It wasn’t until Kurogane saw a white coat running around with blonde hair and waved hands in the opposite direction that he felt something change. The blond was screaming a name he really didn't care about into the mass of people. Though nobody responded to the name, the stranger kept at it. He brushed everything away for a few brief moments and deducted that would be the type of person he would fall in love with - someone who had absolutely no clue where they were, lost as can be, and running around the place for their companion. For a reason or another, he smiled.
~O~
He waited and waited and waited and waited and waited some more. He was fed up and about to leave and damn Riotz to Hell and fuck him off when he received the invitation:
You have been specially invited to Chat-Room ACA-100.
Your presence has been requested.
Accept or Deny?
Of course he accepted it. He clicked and found himself face-to-face with some funky blond. The individual was slender and sleek, dressed in white, fluffy coats and blue robes. His golden hair was bouncy and moppy and harbored eyes of the purest blue. A smile was plastered on from ear-to-ear. Kurogane immediately blushed upon seeing the mysterious someone.
“You…have a rather unique avatar. I’ve never seen it,” Kurogane stated nonchalantly.
The blond smiled in a psychotic way. “Thanks. I made it myself. It’s actually a replica of myself. Most people say you shouldn’t use your real image but I say screw them,” he giggled.
Kurogane nodded. “Same here.”
“Ah! You look like that for real? Hyuu… You’re quite a nice catch. You net often?”
“Never.”
The blond frowned. The room was dark with two plain seats. The setting changed to that of a restaurant instantly. “This is my personal web-space,” the man explained, “so be my guest and let me treat you to whatever your heart desires.” Kurogane blinked, staring at the setting skeptically before sitting down. “I’m Fai, by the way - Fai D. Flowright. My username is NeverEndingSolitude. Let’s swap e-mail addresses!”
Kurogane nodded, sending a message to the blond male’s account. “I’m Kurogane. Death-Sama_is_Here_972.”
Fai nodded. “So, Kuro-Rin works, ney?”
Kurogane glared. “What the fuck?”
An airy giggle filled the room. “You’re competing in the event three days from now, huh? I’ve been meaning to compete, but there’s no one worthy of my services. Stats?”
“No losses; Warrior, Level 87, 112380652 Exp. Points, specialty in katanas. Once I get to Level 95, I’m upgrading my package to Ninja. I’d be there already but I had to start from scratch with the new server.”
Fai nodded. “Fair enough. I’m stronger than you, though. Can you handle that? One loss; Vampire, Level 107, 10 Exp. Points, specialty in dark infusions. I’ve already upgraded, as you can tell.”
“You can’t be stronger than me with one loss,” Kurogane grunted.
Fai sighed. “Whatever. I don’t think I’ll be much help to you, really. I’m just a pretty face who’ll do practically any scandalous event. That’s what you want, right Kuro-Pi? A scandal? Something to get you on the top of the threads, forums, and chat-rooms?”
Crimson eyes blinked. “What the…? No. I wanna win this thing! There’s gonna be this huge behemoth at the end of the event and I wanna beat it! I need magic!”
Fai giggled. “My! You did your homework! Kudos for you!” At that instant, a plate of kudos materialized on the white, laced tablecloth. “You must be a high-level programmer! Well, although I’d team up with you right off the bat for that, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can’t use magic.”
Kurogane blinked in confusion. “But you’re a Vampire. Your specialty is in dark infusions - the ambiguous category for any type of magic!”
“Still,” Fai chimed, “I decided not to use it. Consider it my challenge for The World.”
Kurogane sighed. “Whatever. If that's the case, you’re wasting my time.”
As Kurogane wandered about aimlessly for the exit he heard Fai’s giggle. “The exit is the other way, Kuro-Bo… If you friend me, I’ll come see you no matter what. I’m not what you’re looking for, but I’d give you a great spin, I know it. Okay?”
Kurogane glared at the blond who sat sheepishly with an idiotically-happy grin. He hated this guy already.
~O~
Three days passed. Kurogane’s lack of sleep was showing. He had been studying, working, attending classes and juggling The World at the same time. For the lack of time, he was glad he hadn’t encountered his mother yet - she would have definitely found out if she saw the black bags under his eyes and the lack-of-sleep yawns. When he got fed up with searching of a PC-magic-user he’d spend his time gaining levels in World of Warcraft and Civilization’s fantasy expansion package. Online playing was fun only because you could beat the crap out of anyone you wanted and not get arrested for it. Still, that high only lasted so long. He changed his games daily with exception to The World.
There was only one day left until the big day. Although he hadn’t officially given up, Kurogane was convinced that this was the end of the line and he would not be able to participate this year. It wasn’t as if he wanted the prize - he already won a Fimbultrv Axe with Earth-Magic infusion before in a contest earlier that year. Kurogane just enjoyed being a celebrity among The World. He was ranked the thirty-fifth strongest in reality’s stats and was specially invited to Japan for a tournament among the best of the best. To be welcomed into such an honor yet not find a worthy PC magic-user was more than lame. The man sighed in a more-than-piqued way and turned on his newly-bought Zen. Music wasn't his forte but it was relaxing to hear something that seemed to describe you perfectly by people you didn't even know.
As any other day, Kurogane started his online gaming experience by weeding through his e-mail and deleting all that damn fan-mail. Such a hassle it was. The warrior-character was about to delete the whole first three pages of his new total of fifty-three pages when he found a familiar e-mail address.
From: NeverEndingSolitude@SanglantBraiser.com
Subject: Lunch under the Sakura Petals?
Kurogane blinked momentarily before recalling who that e-mail address belonged to. It was the very e-mail address of that damn wizard who REFUSED to use magic even though he was a specialist in dark infusions. Needless to say, he clicked on the e-mail.
Hey Kuro-Pon! How’s it going? It’s hard keeping atop all the newest trends! (hectic sigh) ANYHOW! You’re wondering what this has to do with anything… Well, I was reading about the newest addition to the expansion pack and found out that the ninja class has been bumped to the top. (hee) That reminded me of you so…I just wanted to leave you an e-mail!
If you’re not doing anything, how about we meet under the Sakura Petals in the Viola-Effrtz Park in the Neo-Danga Area? I’ll treat you to lunch! I’ll be waiting there even if you don’t come, just so you know. Come at your own convenience.
Hope to see you there!
XOXO.Fai
Kuorgane blinked. This was probably the first event that someone had invited him to under their own accord and not his avatar’s. His mouth bunched into a deep frown as his brows knitted up tightly. He replied to the message:
To: NeverEndingSolitude@SanglantBraiser.com
Subject: Crazy
What the Hell is that? You think I’d actually go to lunch with someone like you? Like Hell I’ll be there. Just don’t cry when I don’t show up. Seriously, what kind of idiot are you?
After his fingers stopped flying by, he sent the e-mail. He deleted all his e-mail and then saved Fai’s e-mail address under his contacts: Damn Wizard. After that, he made sure he saved Fai’s e-mail. He even checked the folder to make sure it saved properly. He bit his bottom lip and then wondered why the Hell he did that… Damn basement was probably just making him go insane…
~O~
Fai returned to his laptop shortly after. He had just gotten out of the shower when he heard his laptop ring. This certain ringing sound in particular referred to a new message from an important contact. He opened his inbox folder eagerly when a smile crossed his face. It was from Kurogane - that ninja-PC he met earlier that week. He had actually gotten a reply!
From: Kuro-Pon (Death-Sama_is_Here_972@MSN.com)
Subject: Crazy
After reading the reply, he smiled in dissatisfaction. His smiled curled upwards. Elegant fingers flew about the keyboards forming a quick message. The rest of the clicks and types were e-mail to, ‘clients,’ and e-friends and real friends. He smiled, saving Kuro-Chu’s e-mail for last. He grabbed his mouse, clicking, ‘Send.’
His wet locks of golden hair dripped. Pulling a white towel over his head, he dried his hair as he waited for a reply.
~O~
He had waited for ten minutes for Fai’s reply. It wasn’t as if he was actually waiting. He was just deleting every page of fan-mail one-by-one because he had never done it before - maybe it could be fun…
As he deleted the last page of unread fan-mail he received a new e-mail in his in-box:
From: Damn Wizard (NeverEndingSolitude@SanglantBraiser.com)
Subject: Even Saints were Bribed…
If that’s what you want, fine. It’s not like my conscious if going to be the one screaming bloody murder. But if you were still interested in that event, I’ll let you know that even I can be bribed. You know where to find me.
Kisses.Fai
Kurogane grunted in the most irritated way. He sent Fai another e-mail. It was much longer than anything he had ever typed or said to anyone but could be easily summed up in two words: Fuck You.
~O~
“So…You’re not gonna meet him?” Riotz asked, somewhat taken aback.
“Fuck no,” Kurogane grumbled. He crossed his arms behind him, settling his head on his palms as he looked up into the boundless sky. The possibilities were endless and yet he couldn’t even find a companion up to par with his ability…or willing to act up to par with his ability.
“Hey aren’t the Sakura Petals in the Viola-Effrtz Park in the Neo-Danga Area in the next area? If nothing else you’d get lunch!” Riotz offered in a laugh.
Kurogane mumbled a set of ten obscenities under his breath. “Fuck no.”
Riotz shrugged his bare shoulders. Today his avatar was that of an average-build male with short blond hair and a single green eye and a blue eye. “It’s not my decision. I was just saying. I gotta meet my girl in ten minutes.” He slinked over to Kurogane and slipped his arms around the ninja’s broad shoulders. “I didn’t know if Kuro-Yun was going to be okay without me…”
Kurogane stood up abruptly as he glared Riotz in the eye. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
The blond male shrugged. “Nothing. Just that Vampire you met has posted up a thread everywhere asking for romance tips. Everyone has been bugging him for a picture or the first memory he had with this mysterious someone but he refuses to tell. He just calls this person, ‘Kuro-Yun,’ so…I just assumed it was you.”
“You don’t know that,” Kurogane scowled.
Riotz nodded. “I know. But he’s got a reputation. Think of the connections. It might not be a bad thing to get to know him. That’s all. Now, I gotta go meet my girl, okay? Laters.”
~O~
Tonight’s goal of gaining a level was reached. Gaining a level when one is a Level 117 Ninja isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. He sighed in an exhausted tone. He needed to warp to three different areas before he could save. There were many ways to go about it, but Fai surfaced into Kurogane’s mind. Was he still waiting for him? It had almost been thirteen hours since the appointed time. If he waited there for a whole day, that’d just be insane. He figured he could warp to Neo-Danga as a shortcut and skip an area.
As the light wrapped around his body in a soothing way, the ninja glanced around for the Viola-Effrtz Park it was the only one with Sakura trees so he figured it wouldn’t be too hard to find it. As luck had it, he spent exactly two-hours attempting to find the damn park. He made a mental note that this would make fourteen-hours and forty-seven minutes past the appointed time.
Kurogane glanced about in search of the blond. He sighed, realizing Fai was not around. For some reason, that made him feel really crappy. The heat of the torched flames lighting the area was not helping, either. It was down-right pissing him off. He turned around to warp to the area where his log-out was destined. A hand grabbed his shoulder.
“Kuro-Ranran? Really? You did come!” a voice behind him chimed.
Kurogane’s nerve pulsated. “What the Hell do you think you’re doing?! How long did you wait? That’s insane! It’s late! What if someone jumped you, huh?” he roared with flaring crimson eyes. His black cape billowed in the wind.
Fai smiled brightly, immediately glomping the taller man. “Oh! Kuro-Chu was worried about me! That…makes me happy. I missed you,” the blond male squealed, snuggling in deeper into Kurogane’s chest. The ninja blushed furiously.
“What the Hell?!” Kurogane roared. “We only met once!”
Fai giggled in amusement, benting his eyebrows weakly. “Love at first sight? I don’t know…”
Kurogane blushed an even deeper shade of brilliant red. “You have to be joking,” he sneered through gritted teeth, ruffling Fai’s golden locks of hair unconciously. Fai shrugged. His eyes flashed an ice-blue - the sign of a save point. Red snorted before saving himself. He grabbed Fai’s waist afterwards. “You owe me lunch.”
Fai’s eyes glittered with hearts and stars happily. He chimed back a reply without hesitation, “Perfect! Tomorrow sound good? We can meet here or maybe a chat-room and then go from there…”
“I don’t do chat-rooms,” Kurogane reminded.
Fai nodded, gulping as he calmed himself down. He looked up deeply into Kurogane’s fiery eyes and smiled. “You saved, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. You’ll need it.”
Fai jumped up on his tip-toes, attaching his lips onto Kurogane’s chapped pair. The ninja gasped wide-eyed after the short peck parted. His mouth curled inwards before he swallowed hard. That was his first kiss. Even if there was no emotion behind it, he could feel the warm feeling and wet, moist, smooth lips against his own. His heart raced and he could feel himself being turned on by this…man. It was sick and yet he wanted to feel Fai’s lips against his own. Kurogane brought their lips together again.
“It’s a date,” he whispered hoarsely. Fai giggled in a high-school girl way, shifting in deeper into Kurogane’s embrace. Their lips yearned for each other’s mouth again. Soon they found each other. Just as they went to have another passionate kiss, everything went dark…
~O~
Kurogane opened his eyes reluctantly. When he opened them again, he wasn’t in the world. He was in reality. His stomach flipped. That really was The World…that was really where he…kissed…Fai. He gulped deeply before realizing his current state: Falling off of his gaming chair with an arm wrapped around his computer screen, lips pressed against the screen, legs spread apart and his other hand touching himself. He went a deeper red than he’d ever gone in The World. This was just wrong! On top of that, he was well aware that Fai was a man!
This only led to more blushing before he looked at the wall. He saw a shadow looming over him. He made no attempt to look behind for he knew who it was. Kurogane looked on the optimistic bright-side - something he never did - at least he had saved.
LOG-OUT ACCEPTED. NEXT LOG-IN REQUESTED.
Afterthoughts: It may not be very enjoyable to read, but I had a *BLAST* writing this. Smut scenes will be fun in this strand. (one of the few stories I'd continue for my selfish benefit) I really want to write scenes where Kurogane keeps getting Fai's nationality wrong when introducing him. (heh) "This is Fai. He's from Lithuania." "Ukraine." "Oh, yeah... Whatever." Okay, maybe that's not as funny to you as it seems to me, but I'd love to see the expression on Kurogane's mom's face as he introduces her to the root of all his sexual problems/assumed lover. Or things like Kurogane and Fai speaking sexy video-game lingo. (*o*) I'm just a freak...?
If you have an idea for themes (especially titles,) please share. (wrote, 'pleasure share,' before fixing it) x3 Anything you’d like to see, I’ll try to incorporate. I really don’t have a plot-line for after Chapter Two - even chapter two is in limbo since it's just an idea of a direction - so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. If you're really that bored, have nothing to do, and want to please me, a .hack//KURO (shot) fan-art would be much loved. (cooooouuuuugh) Anyone with l33t skillz want to try it out? XD Reviews of any kind keep me going even if they make my head swell up like a vegetable and make me feel like exploding. Please leave one if you have time! :3
~B.T.A. Ria-Chan is baking cookies! (nice and warm)