Kite said, "Terajima Ryoko, Nuke Ukasumi and Rachel said they'd be here, so I'd rather wait for them, if you wouldn't mind. Neither Gardenia, Marlo or Natsume were online nor did they answer my emails."
"I understand," sighed Elk, letting his eyes drift about the varied and interesting players, mostly newbies, wandering around Mac Anu.
Many stopped to look at the growing collection of players and Kite wondered if he should have chosen a better meeting place. However, there wasn't time to change it now.
"How long did they say they'd be?" asked Sanjuro, interrupting Kite's thoughts.
"Rachel is finishing a trade, Nuke was rather vague, and Terajima said that she was finishing something," recited Kite. "So they should be here in a few minutes."
Coincidentally, Nuke warped in at that moment, followed shortly by Terajima. Kite waved to the two and they waved back. People gave second glances to Terajima, more for her white wings and girlish looks than for an unusual character design, but they gave third an even forth glances to Nuke with his bubble gum pink hair and bizarre clothing. Most people in the World wouldn't give their avatars quite such eccentric looks.
"Hiya there," beamed Nuke with a flourished wave.
"Greetings, "said Terajima with a polite bow. "Rachel told me to tell you that she will be unable to come because of something that has just occurred."
"All right. Thanks. I guess that's everybody then," murmured Kite. Then he added mentally, at least, 'Except for the former crimson knights and Subaru's friends. Unless Tsukasa knows them, this'll be difficult.'
"Where's Balmung and Orca? Oh, and Balmung's shadow, Reki?" asked Blackrose.
"Shadow?" chuckled Kite. "Balmung's preparing things that only he, of all of us, has access to. He /is/ a system administrator and Reki, his assistant, not shadow, is helping him. Yasuhi- I mean Orca is visiting relatives."
"Since everyone's here whose gonna be here, why don't you tell us why you called?" asked Nuke. The others added their agreement. "And, would you mind my asking, why is that wavemaster's outfit all torn and covered in blood?"
Kite glanced at Tsukasa and then at Blackrose before turning back to the rest of his friends. "That wavemaster is named Tsukasa and it is mostly because of her that I'm calling you together..."
And with that, Kite began the story as far as he knew it, though he abbreviated it. He began with Balmung calling him to Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground and what the blademaster had told him before hand. Blackrose added a few comments here and there concerning the part in which she was there. At the end of the tale all stood in silence for several moments.
"I'm still confused," said Elk, frowning and gazing at Tsukasa. "About this program or whatever it is and about what Tsukasa's part in this is. Um..."
"Yes," agreed Mia, looking pointedly at the tattered wavemaster. "You know more about this matter than, I think, you've told anyone else involved in this: More about the player Demon Child, more about the origins of this thing and just more about this whole affair in general. Why don't you tell us?"
All the eyes turned to the girl. Tsukasa felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny, but she said nothing for several long moments, gazing at the ground. She didn't really want to tell these things, relive some of the memories and call to mind some of the things Aura and Morganna had told her, but she decided that she didn't have much of a choice.
"I... I don't know as much as you think... Only what I have seen or have been told," began Tsukasa, hesitating to continue.
"Told? By whom?" asked Ryoko in the pause. "If you tell us, then we could go ask them."
Tsukasa's head tilted slightly to one side. "Morganna and Aura and others. The voices," she murmured, closing her eyes. "I suppose an explanation would start with how Death was released. I think Balmung and Reki are the only ones I've told."
The wavemaster then told, briefly, of meeting Keika and going with her to the graveyard. Then Tsukasa told of the things that happened there and of her escape. She paused a moment, then continued with going to the cathedral realm and of her decision and of the confrontation with death, at least the beginning of it. When she reached the part where she blacked out, the wavemaster trailed off into silence. The others, too, remained silent, contemplating what they had been told by Kite, who they knew and trusted, and Tsukasa, one who they did not know, but trusted simply because Kite did.
"But what did Aura and that cat do to you?" asked Sanjuro after a moment. "What was whatever Death interrupted?"
"They were..." Tsukasa suddenly froze mid-sentence. Her gray eyes opened wide for a moment, staring at nothing, then she spun around, her gaze darting to and fro, seeking the thing she had just sensed. The wavemaster looked back to the chaos gate, spinning in its place. Kite, Blackrose, Mia, Elk, Moonstone, Nuke, Ryoko and Sanjuro followed her anxious eyes. They saw a slightly glitch of fuzzy data, then three teleportation rings appearing in the air and dropping down. When they faded, Demon Child was standing there. A dark glare passed across his features as his burning red eyes latched with Tsukasa's. The wavemaster trembled, fear evident in all her features.
"No," she whispered. "No... Not him..."
Blackrose put a hand upon Tsukasa's shoulder and murmured, "We won't let him hurt you again. Tsukasa... Don't be afraid, we can take him."
Demon Child stepped forward. As he did, it seemed that all other activity, even the flowing water of the canals, ceased. Players were frozen in time, one even in mid air as his avatar leapt. Mia suddenly cried out and clutched her head even as Tsukasa did the same.
"What the-" shouted Sanjuro as the ground trembled and static filled everyone's eyes and white noise filled their ears.
With a final buzz, the static vanished, leaving them upon a plain, desolate field not unlike the islands upon which Kite and the others had fought with the phases. However, this was no island but a broad expanse of barren turf. Demon Child stood before the group, his scimitar drawn and held out before him. The crimson gems upon his armor glowed brightly. In his eyes smoldered an annoyed flame. However, the winged player simply glared, not bothering to comment.
"What do you want?" demanded Kite, stepping forward to face the other player. Sanjuro and Moonstone drew their weapons, prepared for a fight. Nuke had his spear out, but held it loosely, staring at the dark player with wonder. Ryoko took a step back, drawing her axe and gripping it tightly. Elk stared at Mia with worry, trying to figure out how to help the cat player. Blackrose took her sword, lifting it into a position that allowed for swift movement.
When the static had vanished, the pain in both Mia's and Tsukasa's heads had vanished. However, both were still shaken. The blademaster slowly drew her sword, eyes narrowing to golden slits.
"This is going to be bad, Elk," she murmured to the boy wavemaster. "Keep your strongest spells ready but don't cast them unless necessary. I think you will have to heal us..."
Elk nodded, blinking his red-brown eyes and turning them to Tsukasa, to Demon Child and back to Tsukasa. The gazes of both were locked. Tsukasa's gray eyes were still filled with terror, but she met the black knight's gaze steadily.
With a bitter laugh, Demon Child flicked his eyes to Kite. "What do I want?" he hissed. "I want that fool Tsukasa dead. I want you all to stop meddling in what doesn't concern you."
"What if we don't want Tsukasa dead?" snapped Blackrose. "What if these matters do concern us?"
"What if this? What if that?" snarled Demon Child, advancing another step. "Let me rephrase this: I say that my business does not have to concern you, or at least your untimely demise if you log out now and go do other things, ignoring the World and your computer. Go read a book. Either way, however, that wavemaster should be dead. I intend to remedy the little glitch that allowed for her to be healed."
The exchange of threats between the dot hackers, as they had been recently termed, and Demon Child continued, but for the moment it went unheeded by Tsukasa. Her eyes were closed, her mind paying attention to other conversations. Then, the wavemaster's eyes flickered open and she saw a transparent wraith in front of her. Its form was indistinct, but it looked a great deal like Skeith. Tsukasa nodded to it and held out her hand. The creature reached forward and touched it before fading completely.
Tsukasa gasped as a small white light began to form in her palm. Unnoticed by the others, save Mia, the light grew and lengthened into a long pole. At one end the pole formed a shepherd's crook. It flashed briefly into the form of Skeith's red wand, but quickly returned to the form of Tsukasa's own staff, the one she had possessed prior to Death shattering it. The glow faded and the wavemaster was left holding her staff. The orb floating in the crook was still red, but slightly darker than before. Tsukasa held the stave close to her, silently thanking the one who had sent it.
Author stuff:
I've been beyond busy with school and volleyball.. I'm sorry! Anyway, new little twist in the story... Please read and review!
Yes, others of Tsukasa's friends will pop up (-gestures to stuff in this chapter-)
Umm... Thanks to all my reviewers!