Disclaimer: This work of mine is a fan fiction writing based primarily on the anime, Avenger, with elements from the manga, .hackLegend of the Twilight. Credit and ownership for most of the characters and scenes belong to Ban Yukiko and his crew, and Rei Izumi and her crew. This fan fiction will be taken down upon the request of the artists or of the host. Any and all incidents or characters portrayed in the story is purely coincidental to other works, fiction or non-fiction, and unrelated to any persons living or dead. I did not torture my little brother in order to drag this story out of his mind. Honest.

Primary Author's Notes:

Because of the nature of this story, there will be spoilers to both series. Any reader who does not wish to be privy to these spoilers is requested to turn back at this point; disregard of this request will act as a waiver to all rights of complaint of said reader. In the course of the story, there might be points that lead to confusion among the readers. (That is especially true in this chapter, if most of my information is correct. I guarantee that some readers will either go "I didn't notice that" or "This guy mixed up his canon" at one point.) Any and all such points are either addressed in the Ending Author's Notes, or will be addressed in subsequent chapters if a reader addresses them through the reviews. I hope this is a story that you will either love or love to hate.

Chapter 2: Wistfulness

In the throne room of what used to be Volk City, a young boy sat on a chair that was covered in pillows. Though no one knew when he had been born, he looked like he was between nine and eleven years old. His red eyes, the color of roses or the soft Martian dawn, flitted gently from one subject to another. His gaze was gentle but tired, earning him surprised or sympathetic looks from those around him. Dressed in purple robes that flowed down to his feet, and a set of white pants and shirt underneath, he looked like a young prince, or as some of the ruder ones pointed out, a young princess. Golden figures were embroidered into his robe, matching the color of his hair, and his shoes hidden underneath the purple fabric, were soft velvet that belied their toughness.

Also in the room were several other figures; a man in worn clothes that were streaked here and there with grease, a woman with long, flowing blonde hair, and another man with a mustache and a turban, while around them were several dozen guards.

"Lady Westa, won't you reconsider?" the man with the mustache pleaded. He was a gentleman of average height, and thus, was actually shorter than Westa. His turban was blue and his skin was a deep brown; on his left hand were several rings, some of them with jewels. His eyes were dark and he wore a light blue vest, a sash and loose fitting pants.

"I'm sorry, Mayor Samud," the goddess replied, "but the city can no longer afford such luxuries in light of the damage brought about by the flood waters as well as negotiations with the Lunarians. You understand, don't you?" Lady Westa's voice was gentle but firm, with a tone of finality that few could ever match. Of course, even fewer were said to have the gift of foresight that allowed her such finality.

Mayor Samud blinked slowly and almost glared at the Lady before he managed to calm himself down. "I. . . understand, Lady Westa. But I hope that you too understand the nature of my city's situation. We too, were struck by the recent disasters, and we need to stabilize ourselves. I hope you will not be offended if I call again should matters deem it necessary?"

At Lady Westa's nod, Samud relaxed a bit. "Very well then. Good bye for now, Lady Westa." He bowed then turned around and left. At his departure, another visitor came in from the large double doors in front.

The prince watched these with a sigh. It had been like this for a while. The almost-battle with the people of the Moon, or the Lunarians as they were now called, coupled with the damage left by the floods and earthquakes had changed almost every political and trade agreement between the cities. With some cities wiped out by starvation, and others totally demolished by the raging waters, trade routes were cut, cities suddenly found themselves lacking luxuries, food, and ironically, drinkable water became scarcer, and the harsh Martian surface became even harsher.

The boy understood all this, but it did not mean that he was happy about it.

"Penny for your thoughts, Nei?" said a voice to his right. Looking up, Nei found the sight of Mister Speedy leaning on his chair comfortably. The happy-go-lucky doll breeder was seldom very serious but had taken it upon himself to stay with Nei, even after Layla had left.

Miss Layla. . .

Nei stifled another sigh at the memory. Accustomed to the boy's morose expression, Speedy tipped the child's face to look directly at him and smiled.

"Cheer up. It won't be like this forever and I believe, as you do, that Layla will be back."

Nei nodded. He did believe that. Believed in it with all his heart. But in the meantime, waiting was making him nervous and bored at the same time. And then, there were his dreams. Without Miss Layla to sleep with, his nightmares were making a routine appearance almost every other night. And of course, there were the dreams that were neither good nor bad; dreams of sitting on a hill while dolls and children played around and a small, soft hand that clasped his own. . .

Nei blinked. His daydreaming was starting to get a noticeable level lately. Perhaps it was better he thought things through instead of forcing the thoughts away.

"I think. . .I think I'll go for a walk." He said to Mister Speedy. The doll breeder nodded in understanding.

"I'll let Lady Westa know if she asks. Just be careful, okay little guy?"

Nei bowed slightly in affirmation and gratitude, before lowering himself off the chair. Walking out of the side door of the room, he found several dolls bowing down on either side of him. They were dressed in maids or servitors' clothing. Several were carrying trays of food; others were cleaning the hallway, or just passing through. All of them greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Lord Nei."

"It's very nice to see you again, Lord Nei."

"Greetings, Lord Nei."

"How may we serve you, Lord Nei?"

In one form or another, the dolls greeted him or offered to help in some way. Nei acknowledged their greetings with a nod or a wave and politely declined the offers.

He reached the lower levels and went through a large gate ringed by four human guards. The guards noted his passing but did not stop him. However, two of the black-clothed hunter dolls leapt from their positions from the gates' shadows and positioned themselves just a half step behind Nei on either side. Nei barely looked at them; he had grown somewhat used to the bodyguards every time he left the castle.

The dolls, looking like identical twins, followed him down the path, their rings chiming as their staffs moved in time to their steps. It was like a miniature procession, but the chimes served a dual purpose; they announced the presence of an important personage and warned off potential attackers at the same time.

Nei was too deep in thought to notice this though. The people passing by no longer greeted him, though several stopped to stare, but he didn't mind. His thoughts wandered again to his former 'mistress'.

"Miss Layla. . ."

That Nei missed the female barbaroi fighter was no secret in the upper echelons of Volk City. The people remembered, revered, and in some cases, hated Layla Ashley for her victory against Fighter Volk and her undeniable tie to Nei. He himself didn't mind the reverence they had for him and Layla, but he was getting tired-oh, so tired- of being worshipped from a distance by virtually everyone but Mister Speedy and Lady Westa.

He finally let out the sigh he had been holding and stopped atop a bridge overlooking the lower levels of the city. The chimes from the dolls faded as they too, halted.

Nei could see the gates of the city from his position - all four of them. Indeed, the bridge could have served as a battlement and there were mounted guns on either side. Yet below him, people walked peacefully to and fro and only a few guards patrolled. Unlike Apollo City, the only hunter dolls to be seen were the ones with Nei.

The boy crossed his arms and leaned down on the rail of the bridge. He was facing the setting sun, bathed in its pink glow. In the dimming light, his blonde hair and purple robes turned the color of his eyes, and the air was cool and refreshing. Another sigh escaped him. It was so peaceful here. Just a few weeks ago, he and Miss Layla and Mister Speedy had arrived here in response to Fighter Volk's challenge. Sick as he was at the time, he could still remember the details, up to the part where Layla had gone out the East Gate.

The Gate was now open. He could try and find her. But Nei was not that much of a fool. Miss Layla did not want to be found just yet.

He looked at the gate. Traders were coming in and out. Some on foot, others with cars or bikes designed for Martian transportation. He watched them pass through the large gates, down the path, towards the plaza. . .

Nei blinked. Was that a chase happening? It looked like it; there was a man running after a small figure that could have been a midget thief or a doll. Behind him, a woman was driving her jeep recklessly in pursuit.

Nei was curious. Being party to several chases before, he could sympathize with whomever was being hunted at the moment. The boy made up his mind, and then ran across the bridge to a path that lead to the lower levels.

Behind them, the two hunter dolls followed in an almost silent escort; only their rings now chiming loudly.

Ending Author's Notes.

And here's the little star of our story. This is beginning to be something more of a continuation than just a crossover, and that's the way I like it.

Now before I get a ton of flames or questions for this, yes, Nei is a boy. This is not a personal idea; Nei is actually revealed to be a boy in episode thirteen (13) of the series, after the fight with Volk. It was Westa who said it; "At first, we thought that she was a girl. But now we know that she's actually a boy. . ." That was on the cable channel Animax, with its twenty-four hour shows of English dubbed anime. I watched that episode twice just to make sure of it. And it's so puzzling; in the opening sequence you are literally shown Nei in a dress with flowing hair; anybody would think he's actually a girl. I tried to get the subbed version, but apparently, the Philippines is suffering from a severe lack of demand in the anime DVD section. Only thing I could find were boot-lagged versions of the Animax show, which was pretty stupid since you could just watch it on TV.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thought that Nei is really a girl; of the information on the Net, few give enough info about Avenger, and fewer still give info about Nei's real gender. Even the fanfics that I've found. It's utterly frustrating; if it turns out that Animax botched up on the translation, I'm lobbying for another all-anime cable channel.

But about the story itself, I hoped you like the presentation of the story's main character, even if he is confusing. I have the third chapter written on paper, and depending on my time, I should have it encoded soon. Until then, ciao.

Oh, and if I missed anything, put it in a flame/review for me.