The sky was a vast expanse of dark looming clouds that had long since passed threatening to rain as drops slammed against the windows, roofs, and cement of the city below. It was easy to say that no one would be starting their day without an umbrella if they should venture outside for any reason. It was a bit of surprise to see rain happening on the last few days of freedom before the start of school for many but who ever said nature made sense. The downpour of noise didn't reach the ears of one person, no matter how much she usually loved the sound and enjoyed watching it. Shizuka didn't move from her spot on the bed, her honey eyes staring up at the ceiling as her mind drifted through memories for she didn't know how long. She hated thinking about it day in and out but with her brother gone, the silence and loneliness of the house was like a prison. She sighed, turning on her side and looking around the darkness of her bedroom with only a small source of light coming from the Neuro Linker that had been yet to be turned off. The small piece of technology had been the lead in to the biggest mistake of her life and yet it use to bring her so much joy. Could she ever get back into the game? Could she enjoy Brain Burst again? Had someone taken her spot as King? No, Mamorimasu would have said something but what if her Legion disbanded or people joined other Legions..... what would she do then? A King with no one? Would she just be doomed to be alone no matter what world she was in?

All this and more swirled in her mind that she was about ready to pick the thing up and chuck it where it could not be seen. Shizuka pushed off the bed, swiping the thing up off the desk and raised it about her head for but a second before pausing to bring it back down slowly. She twirled it in her hands gently before placing it on, her eyesight correcting itself and seeing everything else pop up. Her home network was the only one she ever connected to and even then it was never for very long since it was usually another disappointing message from her parents about being gone or not to expect them. A beep or two notified of a new message but instead of her parents it was actually a message from a friend which was a bit of a surprise. She tapped the air, clicking the open to the message to give it a read.

---

Kikyo was glued to the controller as she watched the cutscene of her newest game and worked on the right method for her next move. She couldn't help grinning ear to ear and relaxing into the beanbag chair she had comfortably place before the television. This had been one of the best ones so far and much better than the first game which was saying a lot. She loved the time off from school and was a bit sad that she would have to leave her games and go back to the fake world just beyond her plushie filled room soon. It was so much stress to pretend all the time and she wasn't looking forward to it at all. It was hard to make new friends and that would be the only way she would ever be able to show a piece of her real self at this point. A groan escaped her just of the thought of it but luckily that wasn't something she needed to worry about for now and she focused back in on her game when suddenly her belly gave a loud growl."When was the last time I ate again?"she mumbled to herself. Kikyo knew she had been holed up in her room for awhile but had she really lost track of that much time?

Hitting the pause button, she got up and stretched up to the ceiling before heading to the kitchen to see what there was to make. Unfortunately, the pickings looked slim and she would need to go out shopping if she wanted to actually make something instead of snack. She debated for a second, weighing the pros and cons before realizing she would need to shop later anyway so why not now. Kikyo slammed the fridge shut, moving over to the entrance and pulling on her coat. She yanked on her hood, watching the rain for but a moment before shutting as well as locking the front door before stepping out into the storm.

Rain splashed against the window of the kitchen in which Keiko took residence. It was a small apartment, a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom, perfect for her to live on her own. Across the room, on a chair at the kitchen table, was Keiko; tapping away at the air with both hands, almost like an imaginative child in the midst of a game. However, she was instead writing messages - two to be precise - with two separate keyboards assigned to one message tab. One, to be sent to an old friend from a couple years back, and the other, a more recent acquaintance. As she wrote, a small window appeared to her left; a message, from a trusted member of Synergy.
"King, another one. Should we deal with them now or let you handle them." it read. Keiko reached over and tapped the message, enlarging it and creating another keyboard.
"You can deal with them. I have other things to attend to." she replied, sending the message and closing the window. Then she returned to her messages to her friends and reread them both aloud.

"Been a while, Shizuka. There was something I wanted you to see, so I'm sending you an invite. There is a Virtual World I've been developing, and I was wondering if you could check it out. You might not be the only one there."

And then the other.

"Hey, Yoshiki. I know you were looking for a new game to play, so I'm inviting you to try out a new game idea I've been trying out. Try your best, since I know you can't resist, because there might be someone else there ^_^."

They were good for getting them the message, at least it would give them an idea. Hopefully they wouldn't ask to many questions and would just join it, which would make it easier. On either side of the messages were files, and she over to them both and dragged them to the message, creating a small tab at the bottom of the message that would connect them to the world. All that's left is to wait she thought as she tapped the send button on both and proceeded to reach for her glass. She finished the glass and stood to head to the bathroom.

---

Yoshiki stood from the sofa of his house and closed the video window in front of him. He had just finished watching a documentary of sorts about the SAO incident from 2022 and the years following it. He'd always been interested in game history and things related to it, so his video archive on the Neuro-Linker was filled with things of the sort. Old world games, the 21st century, The Nerve Gear and BIC, the first generation, etcetera. It was why RPG type games were so appealing to him, and the same with puzzle and strategy and fighting. His sister, Mayuri, sat on the other side of the sofa, supposedly watching something as well. Whatever it was, she seemed pretty engrossed, as she didn't notice him standing.

He walked over to the kitchen, just a little ways from the lounge, and pulled a glass from a nearby cupboard. Then he grabbed a bottle from the side and unscrewed the top, pouring the black liquid into the glass and watching it fizz. The sound of his parents talking and the oven were all but drowned out in his hearing by the constant downpour of rain from outside. There were only a couple days left before school started again, and so far the final days had been boring and miserable. Yoshiki lifted the glass to his mouth and took a drink, before a message appeared at the side of his vision, from Keiko. It wasn't normal for her to message him, so the occasion must have been special in some way. He placed the glass back down and opened the message, saying it quietly under his breath as he read. It was short, but it definitely piqued his interest. A new game to test out? She really did know him well.
"Yeah sure, I'll check it out." he replied before putting the tab to the side.
"Hey, I'm gonna head to my room for a bit. I've got something to do, so message me if you need me urgently." he said to his family as he walked off and into his room, locking the door behind him with the Neuro-Linker. Then he sat down and connected to the invitation world.
"Open direct link."

Today was one of Arashi's favorite days. He HAD to stay copped inside because of the rain. His parents couldn't tell him to go play outside today, cause he'd return soaked in water.

Not that they did that, mind you. Arashi had an habit of exercising himself aside from his other more sedentary hobbies, but he liked to think that his parents were worried about him spending too much time in his room.

That was what usually happened to him when he spent too much time in Brain Burst. He loses track of time and eventually forgets that time passes way faster inside the Unlimited Neutral Field.

Today, though, he decided to rather spend his day reading some manga or other he had pushed to the side after buying it, all while laying comfortably in his bed while music played. He was never up to date with his favorite series because he always tossed them to the side after buying them. A bad habit of his that only happened with manga.

After finishing the manga in his hands, he tossed it aside (again) and turned his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Maybe I should play a bit..." He said to himself.

"Arashi, come on down, dinner's ready!" A female voice said from outside his room.

Arashi grunted some, before flexing up and stretching his arms into the air.

"Coming." He said in a lazy voice before hurrying out of his room.

Brain Burst would have to wait.

---

"Minions of Darkness! Trem'le before this power!" Chitoge nodded after having been able to suppress her accent for the most of that sentence.

She was probably the only dunce out of her house with the weather as it was. She was already soaked aftr having spent God knows how much time outside in the water like that.

She was holding a magazine rolled into her hand and kept it close to her mouth, acting out as if it were a microphone.

Inside her imagination, she was wearing a large black victorian dress with spikes by the sides and on the shouldres. Basically, an armor, but she was not good at imagining amored dresses so the spikes should do for now.

"Surrender to this requiem of darkness or suffer the consequences!" After that, she took a deep breath and was about to start singing her 'requiem of darkness', but she stopped once she saw someone coming by.

A deep red blush appeared in her cheeks and she waved a bit at the person passing by.

"H-Hello." She said in a stifled voice and hiding the magazine behind herself.

The person in question completely ignored her, as they were too busy running through the rain. Yeah, no one liked to be out in the rain like her.

It was one of the few times that she could use to lose herself in her delusions without having to worry about anyone coming, though there was always an oddball or salaryman hurrying for their homes in this weather.

She sighed and decided to pick up the pace for her own house....

"Afte' THIS requiem." With a smile on her face, the girl put the rolled-up magazine near her mouth once again and took another deep breath.

This time, no one would interrupt her requiem of darkness.

Shin sat at the desk in his room, finishing up his studies, as he had repeatedly done since the first day of summer vacation. Deciding to take a break, he stretched and noticed it was raining out, moving to the window and peering out of it. The street below was virtually empty, save for one or two passerbys hurrying to get out of the rain. His eyes moved to the house across the street from him, How long ago was it? he thought, recalling a memory. Sighing, he closed the blinds, he didn't want to think about any of that. He returned to his desk and spotted his Neuro Linker, he had taken it off when he started studying, so he wouldn't get distracted. Picking it up, he put it back on, going through the routine reconnection like usual. He saw a message from his parents, and after reading it, he deleted it. Late again tonight. Figures. he thought. He began to go through his files from the previous school year, deleting several picture files and a couple of other random files he had kept. He finally came across the Brain Burst program, tempted to delete it as well, though decided against it. Letting out another sigh, he decided he needed to find a way to take his mind off things. After connecting back to the internet, he went to the forum he frequented, reading up on a few posts. Once he was finished there, he moved to a different site, his avatar now connecting.

Once he was in, he began to search around, looking at the different hangouts. None of them seemed particularly interesting, then again, they never did. He continued until he found the one he usually hung out at, connecting to it and being greeted by the usual crowd. The hangout appeared to resemble that of a mix between a weapon shop found in most RPG's and a cafe with an open plateau 'outside' the store. The programming was set up so it was usually sunny, this way people could sit out on the plateau and chat. This was one of his favorite places to go, aside from one other place, but that was in the school network. School. Only a few days until it started back up again, of course, he knew what that meant; the girls would be fawning all over him again. Sighing, he took a seat, Why is life so cruel to me? he thought. A message appeared in his inbox, "Hey Shin! It's me! I'm having a great time studying in America! Everything's so different here, the people, the food, even the speech! It's all so much to take in! Anyways, had some time to send a message before bed, hope all is well back home! Hope to hear from you soon! -Yuki" he read. He chuckled a bit, Yuki always had such a positive outlook on life, that's what made her such a great friend. After closing the message and setting it aside, he was approached by several familiar people, whom he motioned for them to join him.

"So, did you watch that anime I suggested to you?" Shin asked the person across from him. Their avatar nodded, "Yes, I did. It really helped me to understand my sister a little better, now I know how to handle her when she acts the way she does." a girl's voice came from the neko. Shin nodded and smiled, "I'm glad. Just, don't be too hard on her, alright?" the avatar nodded. He turned his attention to the large lizard warrior avatar on his left, "What about you, Kai? How's your brother doing? Has he calmed down a bit?" he asked. The lizard avatar nodded, "Ever since you recommended I humor him, I've seen his delusions become less and less frequent. He also seems to listen to our parents more now." he replied. Shin smiled, "That's great news, hopefully things continue to get better for you guys." he said. He turned to the female vampire on his right, "What about you, how are you doing, Ruby?" he asked. There was silence at first, "Not great, my daughter's delusions are getting even more intense." she replied. Shin sighed, "Like I said before, indulge her, it might help. I mean, look at what happened with Kai's brother." he told her, motioning to the lizard. She nodded, "I'll try, thank you Shin." she said. The neko looked over at him, "Hey Shin, you ever interact with someone who has chuunibyo? You seem to know a lot." she asked. Shin shook his head, "No, I've only studied the condition." he said. He didn't want these people to know there was more behind those words, so he said his goodbyes and disconnected.

He sighed and went to the window again, opening the blinds, watching as more people passed. This time he spotted a girl, or as best he could figure was a girl, he couldn't tell because of how wet the person's hair was. They seemed to be using a rolled up magazine to sing, clearly not caring about getting soaked. Another sigh escaped his lips, deciding to grab his umbrella and put his coat on, I swear, some people these days. That kid's gonna get sick. he thought, putting his boots on. The moment he stepped outside, he heard her singing and dancing, She must really like the rain, she's a strange one, I'll give her that. he thought, now knowing the person was a girl for a fact. He had to admit, her accent was a little strange, but it wasn't like it bothered him. He walked out of the gate and up to her, opening the umbrella, "You'll catch a cold out here." he said, giving the girl a smile as he held the umbrella over her.
@GrafRoy Zeppeli

Hojo hurriedly wiped the sweat from his brow as he stood over the open flame stir-frying a wok of fried rice. The people were getting impatient as more people fleeing the storm had taken shelter in the small restaurant. He and his uncle had been struggling to cover the large of influx of customers they had received. He was focused narrowly on the task at hand but his mind was wandering. He would be back at school again soon and it was important that he take it seriously this time, he couldn't keep making his sister worry over him forever.

“Hey man how much longer will this take?” A short--statured man said sheepishly.

Hojo snapped from his focus and turned to the man,
“HUH!? I’m sorry, I could’ve sworn you just said I’m doing a poor job.” Hojo sneered at him with an intimidating face

“N-no.. I-I was just wondering.” the man replied, his eyebrows knitted in fear as a bead of sweat ran down his temple.

“3 minutes” Hojo said, dropping the act and turning his attention back to the cooking.

Within an hour the majority of people had been fed and business began to die down again. Hojo took a deep breath as he wiped himself down with a dish towel. “My shifts done, old man, I’m goin’ out,” Hojo muttered to his uncle who stood at the front counter wiping it down. “Eh? It’s still rainin’ out, ya better take an umbrella” he called back to Hojo who was putting his coat on. “Yeah yeah, whatever”, Hojo replied as he picked up an umbrella and walked out into the rain.

In a few minutes Hojo left a convenience store with a plastic bag filled with snacks. He was about to start walking when he spotted a girl with a rolled-up magazine doing what appeared to be some sort of rain dance. After a few minutes of watching Hojo went back on his way, he felt like going to the net cafe today.

---

With a sigh, Takara leaned back in her chair as she rubbed her face. She had sent her younger brother a multitude of messages and had been returned with nothing. “He probably lost his phone again”, she muttered to herself as she got to her feet and pushed the curtains aside. The rain was still going strong, she had had plans of going out today but it would seem the weather had other plans for her.

Turning back towards her dimly lit room she let her almond brown hair down and laid down on the futon in the center of the room. She turned over on her side and wrote a final message on her phone to Hojo, Be home in time for dinner. She tossed the phone onto the tatami mat and stared up at the ceiling. Annoyed, she switched her neurolinker on and closed her eyes.

When she opened them she was greeted with the colorful online virtual world. She began to walk, her tall lion in a business suit not nearly as strange as the other shapes and sizes of others’ avatars.

Date quickened his pace as he walked home through the rain. It was not as heavy when he left for a walk but now it was raining harder and his silk umbrella was not providing much support. He was hanging out with his friends on the virtual world but his mother sent him to the local convince store and now he was headed home.

He stepped inside and took his shoes, dipping wet he drooped the food off in the kitchen and went upstairs to his room. The rain had almost soaked through his cloths so he was going to have to change. Today was not a good day for Date, he hated the rain, his mother was more annoying than usual and on top of all that she had him running around in this weather.

After he changed he slumped down onto his bed with a aggravated sigh. All he wanted to do was go online and have a good time, but nooo "reality" had to step in and trample on his parade. But now he was alone, Date closed his eyes and when he opened them the bright world he loved come into view. His small avatar scampered around looking for fun.

Shizuka read over the message from Keiko multiple times, biting her lip as she debated on what she should reply with or even if she should ignore the message by tapping that tempting delete button. She always enjoyed the Virtual Worlds that girl made but the thought of other people being there made her a bit nervous to jump right in to accepting. It had been a long time since she had played games with different players and instead chose to do singular games that kept up with speed training or letting her continue with practice fighting in case of...well she wasn't sure why anymore. Why did Brain Burst keep calling to her? It was like she was always keeping up her mind for it even when she promised to never set foot in that world again. Mamorimasu had been trying to get her to return and keeping her spirits up that he was not the only one but she didn't believe it. Heck, Keiko had even tried once or twice to talk about it but Shizuka had shut them down. It was possible that this was another way to lure her but...maybe it was time to at least try multiplayer games. It wouldn't hurt from the safety of her home and if this test proved bad than she could just stop, right?

She gave a small nod, steeling her resolve before tapping on the replay button. Her fingers gliding through the air with expert grace since this was one of her biggest form of communication. Once the small message was typed up, her finger hovered over the send button for but a moment before she pressed it and flopped back onto her bed with an arm over her eyes. It was too late to turn back now...guess she better eat something while the files downloaded and then she would have to be prepared for whatever this game held. That was the thought on her mind as Shizuka pushed up the bed, wandering through the empty house to the kitchen.

---

Kikyo had made it to the store without too much trouble, the rain not being too much of a deterrent but unfortunately while she was inside grabbing groceries the rain had steadily worsened. Now she had both hands full of bags and what seemed an ocean of puddles ahead with the pounding of rain above. She was now regretting not owning a simple umbrella as she walked carefully through the storm, the rain soaking her too the bone and her coat not being of much help against anything. She only walked so far before she ducked under the roof area of a random shops entrance, placing her bags on the ground for just a second to get some rest and rubbing her arms to try to keep warm (not that it was of much use at this point). Kikyo felt like a drowned rat and was shivering awful, hating the fact that she couldn't just stand there until the storms passing. The owner probably wouldn't like it very much and she also needed to get these groceries home. She watched other people walking by, some just running onward with umbrellas while some a little more interesting like the girl sing into a rolled up magazine or something. She wished she was more like her in the fact of the weather not bothering them. The rain was just putting her down in so many ways right now. She sighed, groaning in dismay as she picked up her bags once more and head back out from under the nice dry spot or she would have under she tripped. Now she was wetter than before, her knees and hands were scuffed do to the pavement while the lovely fact of one of her bags breaking.

Her face dusted red not only from complete embarrassment but frustration as she worked to pick up the fallen cans and items. This was not her day at all.

"A-Ack!" Chitoge did not react well to the sudden kind gesture coming from Shin.

She stepped back and even stumbled before falling to the floor on her behind.

Her skirt was now completely wet, not to mention incredibly uncomfortable. She then brought her knees together so as to not let the boy see her panties.

She pulled her skirt down with her right hand and covered her eyepatch with her left hand.

"Eh, ah, I'm... Imma gettin' hella wet in thi' weather." She said, her eyes going in circles.

She was confused, wet and the man started to seem as if he was sparkling.

"I-I mean, why are ya helpin' me, child of light!?"

She slowly stood up and just felt like running away. Her umbrella was leaning against some bench or other and the magazine had been dropped to the ground and was now soaking wet as well.

"And I hadn't even rea' that yet." She let out a mental sigh that also escaped through her mouth. "Neve' mind that, me! What are ya doin' going full Kansai-ben with this goo' lookin' guy in front of you? Keep your accen' to yourself girl!"

She then cleared her throat, "I mean... I am... real grateful for this. Um, thanks for the umbrella and all but..."

She then pointed to where the umbrella was, "I kinda have my own. But, I mean, I think it was real cut' from you."

"And, um, what are ya doing in a place like this?" Before she knew it, she was already trying to flirt as she twirled some of her hair in a single finger.

She had also completely forgotten about the bad weather.

---

@Krinos Solstice

The world darkened around him as the link into the virtual world opened. Some of the files that were downloaded were interesting - enemy models, weapon models, fighting styles difficulty, and two strange files; one named "Yoshiki" and the other, "Shizuka". Was Shizuka the name of the other player Keiko has mentioned, or was it just the name of a weapon or something? Whatever the game was that she had been working on, it was clearly some kind of fighting game, the only question was how would it play. That, and what kind of fighting game was it. Thoughts passed through Yoshiki's mind as he transformed into his avatar, a character with his same features, same height, same everything, besides a crimson streak through his hair and cat ears. It was a bit off an odd design, but it seemed fine at the time, so he stuck with it.

As everything generated, Yoshiki was met with a bland, white room in the shape of a large cube, the walls shiny and reflective like glass, and no light to be found despite the room being completely lit up. On the other side of the room to him stood a character, its body completely white and reflective, with its head the same but matte. To its right a sword stood embedded in the ground, ready to be lifted for combat. He looked around a bit more, finding, on the far right wall, a series of different weapons spread all across it. Staffs, spears, swords, glaives, knives, bows, pikes, tridents, crossbows, javelins, hammers, etcetera. However, all but one weapon was greyed out, as if they weren't there. The only one that remained was a sword, still it is scabbard, directly opposite Yoshiki, like that was the weapon he was supposed to choose.

So that was the one he chose, a clean edged blade that made a resounding noise as it was drawn. Giving it a few practice swings, he determined that the weapon was almost exactly right for him; great balance, good weight, strong metal. So, finally, he walked to an interface in the middle of the room, or near middle. On it there were three different options - name, difficulty, begin. Yoshiki typed his name into the keyboard provided by the name section, and them turned to the difficulty. He scrolled across it, looking at the different ones. Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Medium, Expert, Hard, Insane, More he thought, before realising that there was the odd one out - more. So he tapped it, and immediately the difficulty screen vanished, instead replaced by two options directly next to each other, "Yoshiki" and "Shizuka". However, as much as he was confused about the second name, he instinctively chose the option bearing his name. The screen disappeared, and all that was left was the begin button, which he proceeded to press. In the instant, the robot opposite Yoshiki powered up, standing straight and reaching for the blade in the ground. When the AI was in a fighting stance, ready to begin, a countdown started.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6...

---

Keiko exited the bathroom, brushing her hair back slightly as she received a message - from Shizuka. I've been waiting for this, Black King.I doubt you'll be able to worm your way out of Brain Burst now she thought, looking over to her left at a camera feed from inside the virtual world, where Yoshiki had already commenced the battle. Opening the message, a smile spread across her face at the answer her old friend has given her. To make sure Shizuka didn't get cut to pieces upon entering, she opened up a small command window. She browsed through the different assets she already had loaded, and produced a small balcony from within her Neuro-Linker's data storage. Keiko then sat down, and proceeded to place the balcony into the virtual world, on the wall that Yoshiki had his back to. Then, she changed the player spawn point, so that anyone else who joined would spawn on the balcony, and not the battlefield. Saving it, she wrote a reply to Shizuka.

"Good, good. I hope I'll be able to see you partaking, unless you change your mind upon arrival. In either case, please pay attention to the player there already, because I think he will do well."

Shin watched as the girl fell backwards, now having completely gotten herself drenched entirely from head to toe. He blinked when she called him a 'Child of Light' not completely getting what she was saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, miss." he apologized. He picked up her accent, it was unusual, but oddly charming coming from her. Now that he was this close, he couldn't help but notice how cute she was, despite the fact she was hiding one of her eyes. He looked in the direction she was pointing, sure enough, there was an umbrella there. Turning his attention back to her, he used his free hand to point to the house they were in front of, "I live here. I saw you from my window and thought you didn't have an umbrella, so instead of letting you get drenched, I decided to come out and loan you mine. But since you have one already, I guess it was rather pointless." he replied, chuckling. He offered his hand to help her up, "My name is Shin." he told her. Looking at the magazine that had been ruined, he sort of felt bad for the girl, it was his fault she hadn't gotten the chance to read it. He looked back at her, "I'm real sorry about the magazine, I'll buy you a new one if you want, it is my fault, after all." he offered her.

Once introductions were over and she was standing again, Shin motioned to the house, "Before that though, I think you should come inside and get your clothes dried. I'll find something for you to wear while they're drying." he offered. It was here that Shin realized he was still connected to the net, luckily, no one had challenged him yet. He had always been careful not to be connected to the net upon leaving the property, though this time he had completely forgotten, which had left him vulnerable. He quickly disconnected from the net before someone thought him an appetizing target, "S-Sorry, I don't like being connected to the net outside of familiar networks." he said, making up an excuse. He laughed nervously, Why am I acting like an idiot? he thought, turning and walking to the front door. Opening it, he turned back to her, "Well, are you coming? I'd rather you not get sick." he said, giving her a smile.
@GrafRoy Zeppeli

Shizuka noticed the new message as it popped up, asking her if should would like to read it now or save it for later. She tapped the 'Read' button, looking the message over as she poured herself a glass of juice but soon was silently cursing as she just ended up overfilling the glass. The message Keiko sent had her suspicious now more than ever but at least she had some answers. There would be only one other person and her friend wanted her to take extreme notice in this males actions. She grabbed a towel, slowly cleaning up her mess and frowning as she thought what game the Red King was playing at by setting this up. It was obvious that there was some alternative motive but if she just didn't show than she wouldn't ever know what the other had planned. It felt like a trap even though she trusted the other girl, something was just...off. She found herself heading to her bedroom, the lone glass forgotten as she made her way back to bed but this time for a completely different reason. She opened up the files, diving into the Virtual World that Keiko had created and waited for her avatar to load up. The player spawn lit up on the balcony, the avatar being formed and when it had the eyes opened to view a very blank room. There were weapons of every kind, shape and size but most were grey meaning that they could not be in play yet and most likely needed to be earned or weren't actually ready yet. Her eyes were drawn away from the weapons, onto the actual player and watched as he was in stance across from the AI as the counter was almost to the end of its round.

3,2,1....FIGHT!

"N-No! 'Twas not pointless a'all!" Her accent was getting heavy again, so she cleared her throat.

"M-My name is Himenokouji Chitoge." She introduced herself while gulping audibly, "Err, ya can call me Himeno... or Chitoge. Whichever you want."

When Shin mentioned the magazine, she turned her head to it and seemed surprised to see that he would notice something like that.

"D-Dun' worry. I can just buy a new one. I-It's justa magazine they sell in any convenience store." Chitoge tried to explain while averting her eyes.

It was really a fashion magazine, see what she could do about her own style. She did want to read it, but it wasn't anything entirely urgent. She would've felt really bad if it was the latest edition of her favorite manga magazine, but it was nothing as serious.

A deep red blush appeared on Chitoge's face when Shin said she should go inside and dry her clothes, and even if he said he'd find something for her to wear, it was already too late. Chitoge could hear nothing of that and she started panicking.

"But I ain't 'ave any clothes to change to! I-I can't jus' prance aroun' nake' in your house! N-Not that that means I am gonna go! I-I mean, I am not that kinda woman! Err, but I dun wanna turn ya down. Err, err... I..."

After stuttering, panicking and finally trying to calm herself down, Chitoge dropped her guard for a bit and let her left hand fall to her side, revealing her eyepatch. Panicking (again) Chitoge is quick to cover it again and clear her throat. Again.

It seemed strange for the guy to be worried about the next. It was basically indispensable for Chitoge, at the very least. He then turned around and walked towards the door of his house which, like he said, was really near, unlike her own. She didn't want any neighbor seeing her dancing around in the rain, after all.

"Geez! I'm comin'!" Chitoge said and took her umbrella, before hurrying behind Shin and excusing himself into his house. "S-Sorry for the bother."

---

@Krinos Solstice

---

Well, that took longer than expected.

The food was good, but it took more of his time than he would've liked. Now, though, he was free to go back into the net and into Brain Burst.

Perhaps spectate one or two matches before going into one himself.

He was quick to change from his house network and connect to the public one.

"All right, let's do this...!" He closed his eyes and then took a deep breath. "Burst Link!"

After that, he felt his body changing.

Hsi body was replaced by a metallic body of purple color. It had several ornaments and whatnot, and at the top of the helmet/face, there was a snake sprouting from his forehead.

Two thick gauntlets surrounded his forearms, where the namesake for the avatar Byzantium Lasher was taken for. They were almost always stored in there and would only be let free when he needed to fight.

Which was certainly not know.

Two avatars were fighting there. One was blue, the other red.

He simply crossed his arms over his chest and watched the fight. There was no business that needed to be done for the Purple Legion right now so he could get some lax time.

As Hojo walked he felt his phone buzzed, grumbling to himself he took it out and read, Be home in time for dinner, the words sat printed on the screen. He grimaced, she was nagging him again, with a sigh he jammed the phone back into his pocket and kept walking. The sound of the rain tapping away at the top of his umbrella made a hypnotic rhythm that he found himself walking to as he traveled down the wet sidewalk towards the nearest net cafe. He would wait out the storm there, and maybe he would go home afterward.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a girl kneeling under the awning of a nearby shop. She was soaked completely and it appeared as if her groceries had spilled all over the ground. "None of my business," Hojo muttered as he kept walking on the opposite side of the street. After a few seconds he grumbled to himself and turned back, crossing over to her position. Quickly, with a more intimidating face than he meant, he knelt down and helped to rearrange the groceries she was fumbling with. He took out his bag from the convenience store and pulled the items, out jamming them into his pockets and handed her the bag. "Use this..." He spoke as he handed her the bag, avoiding eye contact. The same thing appeared as if it would repeat itself if she continued on so he handed her his umbrella without another word. He swiveled on one foot, jammed his hands into his pockets, and walked away as his face turned red. "Fuck, now I'm cold", he muttered as he shuffled through the rain.

In the brief few moments Chitoge had lowered her guard, Shin was able to get a glimpse of her eyepatch, though he said nothing about it as he also noticed the girl was doing her best to hide it from him. Once she had stepped inside, he followed, removing his shoes and closing the umbrella. "You're not bothering anyone, Himeno, I'm the only one home right now." he said casually while removing his jacket and hanging it up. He gave her a smile, "Wait here, I'll get you a towel so you can dry off first." he said to her. He returned with a towel for her and handed it over, "Once you've dried your hair, I'll show you where the bathroom is. I'm sure you're freezing, I'll check my sister's room for something you can borrow until your clothes dry." he told her. Now that she was inside and he was able to get a better look at her, he had to admit she looked very cute, even with the eyepatch she had. A cute girl like that? She has to have a boyfriend already, there's just no way possible she couldn't. he thought to himself, perhaps staring at her for a little longer than he should have. He realized this and coughed, shaking his head clear, What am I thinking? I barely know this girl and I'm thinking like that? Geez, I really need to get a grip. he mentally scolded himself.

Once she was done drying her hair, he showed her to the bathroom, then left her to find a change of clothes. Hmm...sis sure does have a lot of clothes. Then again, she's a girl after all. he thought, going through his sister's closet. He sighed, recalling another memory from the past, I guess they're all like that, huh? he thought. He finally found something he thought was suitable, a pair of red shorts and a plain red shirt, something his sister barely wore anymore. After gathering what else was needed, he returned to the bathroom and set the clothes just outside the door, knocking on it afterwards. Himeno? I set the clothes outside the door here, I hope they fit. Oh, and if you feel like taking a shower, feel free to." he called through the door. He left shortly afterwards, deciding to wait for her in the living room, flipping the television on. His mind began to wander to the past once more, It's been six months since then, I wonder if she's forgotten all about me by now? I wonder if everyone from 'there' have forgotten me as well? I know recruiting season is almost there, wonder how many new people from our school will be able to install Brain Burst? Brain Burst...the accelerated world...as much as I miss it, I...can't ever go back there. Not now. Not ever. he thought as he just stared at the television. He sighed, "Nope, it's just too troublesome." he said, folding his hands together and putting them on the back of his head.
@GrafRoy Zeppeli

3,2,1, BEGIN!

Everything happened at once. At first, he could only hear the sound of the countdown, coupled with his breathing. But then, in a second, he heard the sound of an avatar spawning in. Was this the Shizuka person that was in the difficulty, or was it Keiko coming to watch the show? Yoshiki turned, and saw a small panda/humanoid looking figure spawn in on a balcony that he hadn't seen before. He definitely would've seen it if it was there before hand, right?

And then, through his head and the entire room, the words BEGIN! rang out, surprising Yoshiki a severe amount. As he turned back around, he brought the sword in his hand up, narrowly blocking the AI from cleaving off his head. And then it came back for a second attack, this time from the left, to which he blocked again. For a third attack, the robot brought its sword straight across from the right, colliding with Yoshiki's sword and staying there, both pushing against each other, shaking along with the sound of rattling metal.

Yoshiki stepped forward, pushing the AI away, causing it to lose balance slightly. Seizing the opportunity, he lept forward, swiping from the right downwards on a diagonal to cut the things arm off, but to no avail. Instead, the AI blocked it, locking its sword in with Yoshiki's in an attempt to disarm. As it stood, completely emotionless, it swung the blade round, still interlocked with the other sword, and out, knocking him slightly off balance. And then it turned and kicked out, catching Yoshiki cleanly with a roundhouse kick in the chest.

"Damn Keiko, you're really working me today. I knew you'd amp up the difficulty, but did you create this really just for me to test? he spoke out into nothing, wiping his mouth with his arm and readying himself again.

The AI came in for another attack, straight down in an attempt to knock his balance off. Instead, Yoshiki countered, ramming the bot in the chest with his shoulder and sending it to the other side of the room. Now was his chance to do some damage. Yoshiki strode forward, spinning his blade so he was holding it in an icepick grip. As he brought his blade across from the right to cut the bot, it blocked, but not in the right way. With the momentum of the sword, he span around until he was facing away from it, and then he elbowed it in the chest. With continued momentum, he spun again, bring the sword across in a similar manor to the first. As the AI blocked, Yoshiki took the opportunity to reach out with his left hand and grab it by the neck, forcing it against the wall. And, with his sword now back on his right side, he swung it back round into a conventional sword grip and rammed it clean through the AIs chest.

Not enough he thought, as he ripped the blade away and stepped back and couple steps, slightly bleeding from a small slash wound the AI just caused. It was time to finish everything, and that was what he did. The AI charged, bring its blade over its head once again. The bot almost looked surprised as Yoshiki brought his own sword up to meet it, blocking and leaving it there. Then he sidestepped, dragging his blade against the other and letting the AI fall forwards. As his sword arced around, he brought it back up underneath the AI, severing its hands and forcing the blade the clatter across the reflective floor. And in a final action, he brought the blade under and across in an upwards strike, cleaving the bots legs in two, causing it to fall forwards onto the floor. In continuation, he flipped the blade back to an icepick grip, and brought it down on the now struggling AI, cleaving its head from its body.

"Uh... Hi... I... Just need... A minute... To... Catch my breath."

Shizuka hopped onto the edge of the balcony, doing a double front flip off of it so she could be on the ground below with the other guest before giving him a soft smile.
"Than by all means take a moment to rest, I hope you don't mind if I take a turn while you do. I did promise I would at least give it one go though I wonder if I can still do it in a minute."she spoke gently before gracefully walking past the other. The field resetting as the AI was once again standing at the other side of the arena in perfect shape, waiting for its next opponent. The screen popped up, the weapons pulling up before her though all seemed to be blocked out but a lone dagger which meant that was the obvious choice she had to make. The second her small paw touched the weapon, the screen switched to mode of difficulty with many different options though when she caught her name, she was instantly curious to what Keiko had made up for her.
Interesting...what kind of challenge did you have in mind? What are you playing at Red King?"
Not one to let curiosity eat at her, she tapped her name before the screen disappeared and the 10 second counter went up. Shizuka moved swiftly into a defensive stance and turned her full undivided attention to the AI before her as she waited for the game to beginning.

The AI didn't move an inch, a slight twitching seemed to be happening as if it was almost glitching until it looked as if something were forming out of it. It started growing extra limbs and parts before a whole new AI was standing next to the first having just pulled itself out of the original. A frown set on her face, a eyebrow raised at what she had just witnessed since that was an interesting way for a double opponent to appear but she couldn't be too surprised by more than one since a one on one fight could be too quick. It wasn't till the new one split once more that Shizuka knew she was going to have her hands full at this point and was honestly starting to wonder when they would stop doing so. The AI had split twice already with only four second left to the start of the fight, it made her on edge after being away from a true challenge in so long. Would she still be able to do this? Did Keiko have this much faith in her? It was about the time of that thought when she was graced with yet another AI to get in her way but luckily the timer was about to run out so at least she knew how many she needed to get through.
4vs1...you couldn't make it easy could you? Well, I guess it is now or never."

2....1.....FIGHT!

She spun her dagger, a playful smile on her lips before she dashed forward with no trace of fear as the four opponent sprung to life. Shizuka jumped to the side as one took a swipe at her, only to do a quick spin to block an attack from behind her and using her strength to push the weapon away from her enough to kick the AI's ankle. This gave her just enough to dodge into a clear zone, her eyes darting back and forth to each opponent as she circled them slowly and waiting for an opening. One of them jetted forward, preparing to attack when it switch course at the last moment and throwing Shizuka off guard as the next came up to attack which made her have to bend backwards to avoid the blade though it still ended up nicking her shoulder a bit. She glared, the wound irritating her and boosting her determination as she used her arms to do a flip from her bent position, kicking the sword out of the AI's hand. Shizuka grabbed the weapon in mid air before rushing forward to slice at the defenseless AI but ended up dropping the sword to grab the wrist of the computer that had almost stabbed her side. She yanked the AI forward by its wrist, throwing it off balance since it was already slightly bent to be able to attack and kicked out its legs. She didn't waste any time before plunging the dagger into where its jugular would be and slicing across.

Shizuka quickly removed herself from the fallen AI, moving back into defense as she spotted two of the enemies but the other one was just out of sight, slowly making its way behind her. They had her surrounded now, she would have to break them up to take them out one by one or she would have to find a away out of this circle to give herself more room. The two AI's before her moved into attack position, each attacking her at the same time causing her to have to block fast with no free chance to attack unless Shizuka wanted to take some heavy damage which was not her goal at the current moment. She had almost forgotten about her third little friend behind her and had almost been slashed had it not been for the reflective surface of the swords she was holding at bay from ripping into her. She pulled her weapon back, not holding the block anymore as she stepped back, laying on the ground fast before pushing herself back between the AI's legs with its sword narrowly missing her head. Shizuka didn't take long to slash at the AI's Achilles tendon, causing the thing to wobble before she attacked the other leg behind the knee so it could no longer stand. She had no time to finish off the AI laying on the ground but they wouldn't be going anywhere with ease either. That being said, she now had the last two to focus on and they were after her with a vengeance. It didn't matter what she tried, the two were not leaving any openings for her and where making her work hard to not be hit. A thought came to her mind and she turned her backs on the AI's before dashing away, making it almost seem as if she was trying to run from the fight or stop it. They two were hot on her heels, the wall coming up fast which would have made anyone think she was setting herself up to be trapped. Instead, Shizuka started running up the wall before pushing off of it once at a certain height and reaching an arm out to grab hold onto on of the AI's back. It tried to throw her off and slam her against the wall but she held on tight waiting for the right moment. That second came when the other AI went to attack Shizuka and help its comrade only to have Shizuka drop down, the AI dispatching the other by accident as the sword was now through the other AI. The AI turned to her, a one on one match finally beginning. They both stood, no one moving before they both rushed at each other, jumping into the air to slash at one another. They landed on opposite sides of the field, Shizuka refusing to wince at the pain that was blooming across her chest while the AI held its belly slightly and turned slowly back to its enemy. She swiftly jerked around, picking up one of the fallen swords and tossing the dagger aside for now before raising a arm to wave the other to her. She stood calmly, moving into a regal stance as she waited for the attack to come but the second the AI was close, she moved at lightening speed and slashed the AI in two. She didn't let her exhaustion show as she walked slowly, the forgotten fallen AI struggling to grab a sword as it dragged itself across the ground. Shizuka stood over the computer, stepping on the outstretched hand and pointing the sword to the things neck."If you can concede than I would do so now." Shizuka stated to the AI, waiting a moment to see if that was even possible and she assumed it was as everything disappeared once more. The AI standing good as new at the other side of the field as she walked away from it so she could rejoin Yoshiki on the sidelines.

---

It would be an understatement to say that Kikyo was surprised by the newcomer bending down to help her pick up her fallen groceries. Most had past by, ignoring her struggles or existence. She normally would have pushed the other away, claiming she wasn't some helpless little girl that needed someones help but he was a bit intimidating and she wasn't sure she wanted to pick a fight in this current situation. This instead made her oddly quiet as he started to load his own items into his pockets before placing her own in the bag he was previously using before. She felt her cheek warm slightly, embarrassed to be caught in trouble for one and then because he was being so kind to a complete stranger. "Use this.", he said as he handed her the bag, not even looking at her as he did. She awkwardly took the bag, looking away herself as a blush stayed on her face as she spoke up in reply."Thank you. , she said softly before an umbrella was thrust into her other hand and the stranger walked off. She bit her lip, feeling bad that she was taking his warmth and comfort from the rain. She thought for a moment before racing after the stranger since they were going in the same direction anyway and she put the umbrella over the two of them, not asking if she could. "Seems silly for us both to be cold and wet. Whoever splits off first can give the umbrella to the other,deal?"Kikyo stated, ignoring the face she was so close to a stranger and refused to look at her savior.

Chitoge nodded and went on to take her shoes off as well. It felt strange to be in the house of some random stranger, but well, he was nice enough and-!

.....

Wait, her brain did register that right, right? Shin had just said that... they were all alone. In their house. There was nobody else. Nobody at all.

Chitoge gasped at this realization. W-W-What was he planning to do to her?!

'Perhap' I really oughta leave. I-I mean, how many gals in their righ' mind woulda accept an invita'ion from a guy to come ta their home while soaking wet? E-Even if he's REAL kind.... and hand'ome.' The girl thought to herself.

When the boy returned with a towel for her, well, it became really, really hard to actually say she wanted to, no, that was wrong, to say that she needed to leave. As she thought before, the boy was really sweet. It would just leave a bad aftertaste in her mouth to shut him down.

With a wry smile in her face, Chitoge started drying her hair off. She took both hair bands out of her hair and let her brown hair fall all the way to the end of her back.

Truthfully, and even as it was let down, it was still really fluffy, almost like a dog, and that fluffiness made Chitoge somewhat fidgety. She never liked her overly fluffy hair.

As much as she wanted to tell him not to bother getting clothes from his sister, well, what could Chitoge do? She could not go home with the heavy rain pouring down as it was, and spending time with Shin with only a towel to cover her shame was also a no-no.

"P-Please do." The girl nodded as the man stared at her. Tilting her head, Chitoge asked, "'S something wrong?"

Again, she let her guard down. Long enough for Shin to take a good look at her eyepatch.

"Ah." A deep blush appeared in her cheeks. Well, there was no use hiding it anymore. that moment she let her guard down was decisive. If he had not seen the eyepatch by then, then he was blind.

Chitoge followed after him all the way to his bath and decided to take her clothes off and better dry herself off, only staying in her undergarments. They weren't all that wet, but they were certainly childish.

Bear panties, really? What the hell was she thinking in the morning?

Shin's offer to take a bath seemed to be sent from the heavens themselves.

"I-I'll bother ya with that, then." The girl answered, before smiling and going into the shower.

---

About 20 minutes later, Chitoge came out from the bath and put on the clothes Shin had set aside for her. She had already put her hair up in her usual pair of pigtails and had her eye covered by her eyepatch too.

She fidgeted as she approached Shin.

"Err, got any one place ta hang my clothes at? I-I don't wanna leave 'em, well.... hangin' around in yer bathroom." The girl was still blushing. The outfit was a bit tight, but beggars can't be choosers.

"D-Don't look at me! I-It's real embarrassin'" The girl shouted at Shin.

---

@Krinos Solstice (please still be here)

---

Well, that was boring. The red one overwhelmed the fight from beginning to end. The blue avatar had no chance at all. Perhaps a novice being an idiot and connecting to the net with a newly created avatar? Could happen. Happened to him.

With that done with, Arashi turned on his heel and readied to go some other place to watch some other battle when a sudden message arrived, making him stop in his tracks to read what it was.

A reminder to all Legion members, scouting season is a few days away, be sure to keep your eyes open for potential new members. ~L.S.~

A message from the king? Well, that was cool. Maybe Arashi could finally find someone to take under his wing and become a guardian of his own right... yeah, right.

He had never been good with kids, and his loner tendencies definitely did not let him get near anyone in the school. The scouting should then happen with unaligned people, then.

There were some out there, that was for sure. Perhaps battling them and then coercing them into joining the legion? Nah, that was more like bullying. Hm... what to do then? He wasn't the type to have a sign above his head reading 'WE NEED PEOPLE IN THE PURPLE LEGION! ARE YOU THE ONE?'

....That sounded cooler than he expected. Perhaps he would consider the sign idea.

Shin looked over at Chitoge when she spoke, dragging him out of his thoughts, Is...something wrong? If only it were simple enough to answer that question. he thought. He must have been staring at her for a little too long again, because this time she was shouting at him. He held up his hands and looked away from her, "Alright, alright. I can't help it sometimes, I have a tendency to stare at something I find beautiful." he said. It took a few moments to realize what he said, and that he had said it out loud. He decided to change the topic quickly, not wishing to have her yell at him again, S-So, that eyepatch of yours, do you wear it because you were in an accident or something?" he asked. He turned his head back to look at her again, though his eyes now drifted to the eyepatch she wore, noting every little detail about it. "You don't have to answer that, I just wanted to know. I think it looks cool, to be perfectly honest." he added. "She's done it again, ladies and gentlemen! Ms. Umezawa ha-" the television was shut off. Shin stared at it, She had to be mentioned, didn't she? Is this God's way of having fun? Tormenting me like this? I'm starting to really hate today. he thought.

He realized Chitoge was still there with him, "Sorry." he apologized, "I'm not being a very good host, am I? Would you like something to drink?" he gave her a small smile. Despite the smile, it was obvious that something was bothering him, though he wasn't going to speak about it. He never really did. He kept everything inside, his true feelings about people, about situations; he never spoke his own mind. "I'll go hang up your wet clothes for you, please excuse me." he said. He walked to the bathroom and got the wet clothes, bringing them to the laundry room and hanging them up. He remained there for a moment, Running. It's what I do now. Life gets difficult, I run and hide. I didn't want Himeno to know what's bothering me, not because we don't even know each other, but because I don't want to face it. When everything fell apart, I ran...I stopped using Brain Burst, I stopped talking to certain people...I hid from everyone. I'm...a coward. And even now, I'm supposed to be hosting Himeno, and I'm here...why? he thought. He sighed and shook his head, "I'll never make new friends if I keep doing this...Perhaps I should try being friends with Himeno, I mean, what could it hurt?" he said to himself. He returned back to the living room with some juice, sitting down, "You know you can sit, Himeno, I'm not that scary am I?" he asked, joking a bit.
@GrafRoy Zeppeli