Welcome to Gaia! ::

... *pokes thread and ghosts erupt from the ground*

Gah!!!

Does anyone even look at this thread anymore...?

Anyway, whether you do or you don't Happy Early Halloween!!!

My treats for you all this year are two brand new recordings being Gollum's Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvjaKVmoChU

And Come Little Children from Hocus Pocus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvKUFTusbj4

I accept your challenge Mizu!!! And here is my prologue... guaranteed this is the largest post I have ever made in the History of my time here on Gaia.



Prologue

How is it that a simple young man, once an employee for ShopKo has now become one of the last hopes not just for Earth but all worlds? Some may call it an act of fate, being at the right place at the wrong time. But corsairs prefer to call it something a bit more powerful... Luck. This is my story...

It happened during one of my days off work, an all too common occurrence at ShopKo, the hours never decent except during the Christmas season. I was currently engaged in a button mashing session against my favorite villain in the Final Fantasy series Sephiroth.

"Come on Sora jump and glide, now is your opening strike him while he can't fight back! Crap, well that didn't work, alright then get out of there and heal before he kills you!!!"

However, it was too late and I was then looking at the game over screen of the game known as Kingdom Hearts. It was sheer dumb luck that my friend Bobbi had bought me the game for my birthday before she had moved away. Although now I look back at it as a way to prepare and I am very grateful that I had it. If I had only known then what was going to happen. I hung my head in defeat, letting the controller fall out of my hands and onto the floor. I had long since lost count of how many times I had tried to defeat the Masamune wielder.

"I give up... It seems like no matter how many times I try I can't beat him. He's just too good"

I grabbed my right wrist with my left hand, realizing that my non-stop button smashing had resulted in my wrist really aching. My excessive typing, both at work and at home in Final Fantasy XI and Gaiaonline led to a very early case of carpal tunnel syndrome. So with great reluctance and a look of distaste I slipped on my wrist brace and tightened the straps to help support it. With a sigh I then stood up and went down stairs to our kitchen to get a glass of coke and quickly downed it.

As I headed back up our stair case back towards my room I looked out the window for the first time in a few hours to see the ominous looking dark storm clouds fast approaching. The clouds very dark, almost black, darkening out the sky.

I don't like the looks of that... Hopefully it won't be too bad.

I thought. Then I saw the purple lightning flash across the sky and the roar of thunder that was enough to shake the whole house.

So much for that hope...

I continued up the stairs, running through my head what to do in case the weather got really bad when my attention was drawn toward our cat, Whisper as he darted past me towards a strange black thing on the floor. I looked at it curiously, fairly certain that it hadn't been there when I had just gone down the stairs. It was a deep black too, definitely not a stain though. As Whisper poked it with his paw suddenly the spot moved and started rising from the floor forming a head with antennae, and bright yellow orbs for eyes and a small body with arms, legs, hands and feet. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, I recognized it all too well as a Shadow Heartless from none other then the game I was playing, Kingdom Hearts. I watched as Whisper quickly fled and the Shadow turned it's attention towards me. I watched in fright as the house began to fill up with the little creatures, some heading for me, others towards my brother's room. I quickly turned and into my room slamming the door shut behind me. Stuffing a towel into the crack at the bottom of the door not that I thought it would do much good.

"This isn't good... why are heartless here? How is this even possible? What on earth is going on here!?"

I yelled to myself, panicking as I heard the Shadows slam against my door trying to make their way in. Thankfully, these heartless were the weakest and not the most intelligent of the many different types. I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself down. I had to focus.

"Now isn't the time for such questions... they want my heart. Well they won't be getting it without a fight."

I looked over towards my dresser in one corner of my room near my closet. There I had stored in the corner were six different blades. Most of them though were for display purposes, not meant for combat, so my choice was made a lot easier. I grabbed a tall back and opened it, letting the hilt of my battle-ready reverse blade katana fall into my hand and pulled it out of it's scabbard. I then opened the door ready to face the horde of Heartless. Though I wasn't trained in actual combat, I had sparred a few times with my friends, albeit with wooden swords, but the concept was the same, only this time with metal. I swung my katana at them, and though it hit it didn't seem to have any real effect. The next thing I knew, I was blinded by a light that seemed to come from nowhere. At the time, I thought I had passed out.

Dive into the Heart(Destati)

When I opened my eyes I was laying on a floor that seemed to be surrounded solely by darkness. As I got to my feet and looked at the floor I saw I was standing on a what looked like a stained glass window that had King Mickey on it in a very familiar mosaic style. I remembered this from Kingdom Hearts, the Dive into the Heart that Sora had done I realized that I was going through the same thing. As I looked around the platform I heard a voice, warm and yet serious, that seemed to come from nowhere and yet everywhere at the same time.

...So much to do, so little time...

...Take your time...

...don't be afraid...

...The door is still shut. Now, take a step forward. Can you do it?...

"Of course."

I replied confidently at the task that was asked of me and took the simple step forward. Then there was another bright flash of light, not as bright as the one that had brought me there but bright enough to close make me close my eyes. When I opened them again I saw pedestals of white marble surrounding me, a myriad of weapons floating above them. A number of the pedestals were empty as if the weapon had been taken.

...Pick the weapon that best represents you...

A task that was easier said then done really. This was just like what I had to do at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts, how I had asked my friends that were there on my birthday when we spent the night at one of our friend's house, which weapon was better to pick. In the end I had chosen the sword, no surprise to anyone that knew me I'm sure. I looked long and hard at the weapons until I saw the familiar form of the weapon that I had only seen in Final Fantasy XI and my hand wrapped around the stock of the distinct, six-barreled weapon known as a hexagun.

...Hexagun... Unruly Spirit, Loyalty and Respect for your allies and crew... Is this the power that you seek?...

Without a doubt.

I thought in reply, holding the magnificent weapon in my hands and for the first time examining the gun's great detail in craftsmanship. It had always been an elegant looking weapon in the game it originated from, but I could never tell how exactly it had worked. This gun was also a different color scheme then the ones in the game. Black metal, with red detailing, and a dark mahogany handle.

...You have gained the power to fight...

The voice spoke, sounding rather pleased. I didn't have time to dwell on that though as I heard the sound that had become all too familiar to me as an approaching heartless coming from behind. I spun around, pulling back the hammer of the hexagun as I did so and fired, nailing the heartless right in the head. The heartless then faded back into the darkness.

...Nice shot! You've got it. Use this power to protect yourself and others...

"Hopefully I won't have to, but I will if I must..."

Was my reply to the voice as I looked back at the gun in my hand and then back over to where the Heartless had just been. I didn't understand what was going on. I thought and kind of wished it was all just some crazy dream. Yet it was so vivid, I had a hard time convincing myself that was the case.

...There will be times you have to fight, Keep your light burning strong...

My light? The only light that I have is the light that I get from my love...

Was the thought that ran through my mind, and as I did, I grabbed onto the coin that hung around my neck. The cursed Aztec gold coin from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie that my girlfriend Michelle had bought me for my birthday. I laugh now looking back at it, back then I thought I was anything but a being of the light.

...Behind you!...

I snapped back to attention at the word, turning again and unleashing another bullet into another Shadow, barely catching it right before it was about to strike. I looked around as more came at me from all sides. Before I knew it I was engaged in a dance for my life against a horde of the Shadows. The sounds of my gun firing time and again echoing into the empty darkness that surrounded me. I had taken a few hits, I felt blood running down my arm and leg, but I couldn't feel the pain. Writing it off as the adrenaline rush from a fight. I continued to dodge, kick and punch the Heartless back until they were in range to blast away with another bullet from my hexagun.

I held my gun at the ready, looking around and making sure I had gotten rid of all of the heartless. I continued to look around, still amazed that I had gotten so good at shooting as if out of nowhere. I had been shooting before, but I was mostly proficient with a rifle, I remember how hard of a time I had with the handgun though. So it didn't seem like it should be so simple. I panted for breath and clutched at the wound on my right arm with my left hand. Thankful that I was holding the gun in my right. I began to look for a way out... to wake up from this extremely lucid and vivid dream. Surprised that I couldn't force myself out of the dream as I had often done in the past. Then a door with a bright white glow appeared at the end of the platform and I made my way toward it as quickly as I could. Right as I was about to touch the door handle though the stained glass floor I was standing on shattered beneath my very feet. I remember closing my eyes and yelling in fear as I fell into the darkness below, fearing that it was the end for me. Looking back, it would be the first of many times that I fell during this journey, and definitely from greater distances then I had ever fallen before...

I opened my eyes again and found myself back in my room, all of the shadows gone for the moment. At first I thought it had indeed all just been a wild dream, until I looked at what was in my right hand that is. I first noticed that the injury I had sustained in the Dive into the Heart was gone without a trace. But then my eyes opened wider in surprise at the marvelous weapon that I had gripped in my right hand. It was the same hexagun that I had just used to fight off Heartless.

So it wasn't a dream after all... I believe I will call you "The Black Coffin".

I thought still looking at the gun in my hands. The Black Coffin, had been the name of the ship in Final Fantasy XI Captained by Prince Luzaf, the Dark Corsair. The Black Coffin had become the flagship and the symbol of hope for the Empire of Ephramad as they opposed the Empire of Aht Urghan. So to me that was what the gun was, my symbol of hope. The only thing that seemed to have any effect on the accursed creatures, hence the name. Focusing again I quickly ran out of my room and across the landing to my brother's room in hopes that I would be able to save him before he was swallowed by the darkness. As I kicked open the door though I found that I was too late. I watched, horrified as a swarm of Shadow Heartless were covering my brother and he was slowly being devoured, eaten alive by the creatures. I fired frantically into the throng of heartless, trying desperately not to hit my brother. However, I stopped shooting when I came to the realization that my brother was gone as his body faded into the darkness.

No... Alex... It cannot be... He's gone...

I thought as a tear came to my eye, how I was going to explain all of this to my parents, such a mess this had all become. However, I had no time to think about that right now though as the Shadows that had just finished with my brother turned their sights towards me.

"You Heartless Bastards!! You took my brother!"

I yelled at them, my sadness replaced with rage as I resumed firing the hexagun at them with an increased ferocity. Not even realizing how much each and every shot took out of as I grew more and more fatigued. The Shadows seemed endless though. It was time to make the choice, fight or flight. I knew though that if I continued fighting that I would surely lose to their sheer numbers. They may have been the weakest Heartless in Kingdom Hearts. But I was no Sora and knew I could not defeat them all. I continued firing though slowly backing my way out of the room as they quickly pursued. As I walked along the landing yet again I furiously tore at the straps that held the wrist brace on my right hand and pulled it off and threw it on the floor. It was getting in my way, and right now was doing more harm then good in terms of my shooting ability.

As I reached the stairs I did what I always did when I was in a hurry or just felt too lazy to walk down them. I jumped, landing on one of the wider three middle steps and then turned at the corner of the stairs and bolted down the rest of them and out the front door. Slamming it furiously as I left. I ran as fast as my exhausted body would let me. Thankful that no giant swarms of Heartless seemed to be following,but I was certain that there were some hot on my trail. Still it was not an easy task though considering how tired I was, not to mention the gale force winds that threatened to blow me down and the lightning and thunder that seemed to shake the very ground I ran on.

I finally stopped running when I had reached a small park that was about six or so blocks away from my house and sat down on one of the benches to try and catch my breath. As I tried to relax I couldn't help but notice that the park seemed to be the dark clouds epicenter. The winds eerily still where I sat. Almost as if I were in the eye of a storm. It gave me a chance to reflect upon what I remembered about Heartless and of course I felt sadness at the fate of my dear brother...

If only I knew what was about to come at me next, I wouldn't have rested at all. No rest for the weary sounds like a very appropriate thing to say right now as before my very eyes the ground in the center of the soccer field slowly turned pitch black. I stood up and walked towards the field as a very familiar monstrosity of a heartless began to ascend from the ground. My eyes opened wide in fright as I realized that it was the Heartless known as Darkside, and for Sora, it had meant the end of Destiny Islands and I had a strong feeling that soon the world would be devoured by the darkness just as his little island was.

I wasn't going to let it destroy the world though without a fight so I raised The Black Coffin and began to shoot at it. I can only imagine it was like shooting a spit wad at a bear... no real effect whatsoever. Before I even was able to try and dodge it Darkside raised it's massive hand and essentially swatted me like a fly, knocking me to the ground hard. It must have been adrenaline that continued to allow me to get to my feet. No matter how many times I did though he continued to knock me right back down until I felt like I was about to collapse.

"I can't beat him... He's too much..."

I said under my breath as I panted for air, collapsing to one knee. Before I had any chance to evade it a large blast of dark energy fell down on top of me and I thought that was the end of me... I had no idea that it was really just the beginning.

Muwahahaha. Very .hack meets shooter game, James. I doth like it. The way you described people disappearing in green ones and zeroes was especially cool, as were the fight scenes.

I haven't had a chance to play S4 yet, but I think I'll get on it today. I have the whole day off, and it looks too interesting to pass up. Besides, after reading this, I have a whole bunch of inside information about it. ^_^

The next day Jon was just browsing the web, waiting for the members of Clan Shinsei to log on to Skype so that they could go have another evening of fun on S4. Things had been pretty dead and quiet all day it seemed and he was bored. The previous evening had been epic, the Clan had never coincided so well or at least he thought. They were all getting up there, both in terms of skill and level. Jon's attention turned to Skype as he heard the familiar sound of someone signing in.

"Oh! James is getting on."

He quickly opened up a voice chat and it was answered.

"Hey James..."

"Kichi! Something has happened to James!"

It turned out it was James' wife Michelle. Jon noted the worried edge in her voice as she spoke, her words bringing him to high alert.

"Whoa... calm down and tell me what's going on."

"Alright..." She said taking a few breaths trying to calm herself down, "Last night I came home to find James lying on the floor unconscious. His visor still pulled over his eyes. He has fallen into a coma and had to be hospitalized!"

"What!? Are you being serious? Was it a seizure or something?"

"I am serious and I don't think so... Something about this doesn't feel right. He hasn't had a problem with the game before... I'm going into the game to check the message boards. Maybe someone else has heard something about this."

"Wait up! I'm coming too!"

It wasn't Jon this time who spoke up but Amy, another member of Clan Shinsei. She had joined a few weeks after James and Michelle. The newest member of the Clan and the least experienced but that didn't mean that she wasn't skilled.

"I'm going to leave a message for the other clan members on here telling them what is going on for when they get on." Jon said as they heard the familiar typing sound over the microphone, "See you all in game."

"Alright, see you there Kichi."

Michelle said as she ended the voice chat on her end and began to sign into S4. She pulled the visor over her eyes as the game's logo appeared. It wasn't long before her character appeared in the lobby and she looked around. She wore a long sleeve jacket that was covered with green patterns and diamonds, her pants and gloves, and shoes matched this same design. In her hair was sunflower and her hair was a flat blonde style that fell down to about her neck. She walked over to the virtual message board and began to scan over the topics. For the time being it seemed that there was nothing regarding comas or people even falling unconscious aside from the "risk of seizure" advisory posted.

"Nothing... guess I'll check back later."

She sounded a bit discouraged as she quickly pulled out her My Panel and added the topic to the list, hoping someone would respond. She turned her attention to the lobby and waved over at Kichi and Amy as they entered the lobby. She quickly walked over to them all the while deep in thought as she tried to figure out what might have happened to her husband. She looked at Amy in her hot pink hair and her hoodie and the same indian style green pants that she herself wore Kichi wore the same thing that he was the day before. Misherukuro's eyes narrowed as she approached them.

"There wasn't anything posted on the message boards so I posted a topic about it. Hopefully we'll get some answers."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Kichi replied to her as he looked around the lobby. The all too familiar match boards were showing how many and where the matches were taking place. Right now though he wasn't focused on the game, he was worried for Michelle as well as the fate of his friend.

"Wait a minute! I'm confused, what's going on!?"

Whitemantis piped up as she looked from Kichi to Misheru. She had apparently missed the voice chat regarding what had happened to James. Despite the situation, Kichi and Misheru couldn't help but laugh at her complete lack of attention to details.

"James was hospitalized last night. He apparently fell comatose while playing the game and we have no idea why."

Misheru explained, trying to maintain calm. But just thinking about the situation simply made her worry more. At that moment all three of them pulled out their My Panels as they heard the all too familiar sound it made when a person on their friends list signed in.

"Oh! Tao's getting on. I hope that he read the message regarding what is happening..."

"What!? How is this possible!?" Misheru exclaimed as she looked at her My Panel. She had seen the notice about Tao as well but her attention became focused on something else, "It says here that James is online and he's in a match right now!"

Kichi quickly closed the notice and his eyes narrowed as he looked at his friend's list and saw that she was right, somehow the name Gamoden showed clearly on the list that he was online.

"Well that's... strange." Kichi replied as he looked at the room number and tried to hit the join button, "Darn it his match is full... looks like it will be going on for awhile too."

At that moment Taowel ran up to the greet them all. But his expression wasn't one of happiness, it was evident that he had read the message.

"You guys seriously think that the game had anything to do with what happened to James?"

"We don't know Tao... right now we're just exploring the different possibilities." Kichi replied as he looked at his friend, "Something seems very wrong with all of this though."

"Grrr... I can't stand just sitting here waiting. As much as I want answers it would drive me insane. Let's go do a Touch Down match in Tunnel."

Misheru said in agitation and the others nodded in both understanding and consent. Though they were all worried about James none of them were as close to him as Michelle, which was a given since she was his wife.

"Alright. I'll go make the match, invite you all in a sec."

Kichi said as he looked at Misheru, it was pretty evident that she wasn't taking this too well, not that he could blame her. Things didn't make sense right now, especially since according to the lists James was still online when clearly his computer had been signed off of and he was in the hospital. He shook his head as he vanished in a the same series of ones and zeros. It would only take a minute before all of them were accepting the invite to join the room.

"Thanks Kichi..."

Misheru said as she walked over to the panel and punched in her name on his team. Mantis and Tao joined on the opposite team making it even for the time being.

"Sure... Ready up!"

Everyone hit the ready button on their My Panels after checking their gear and the next moment they were all teleported down to the field below.

"Start! Show me your S4!"

The commentator said signifying the start of not only the match but the round. Misheru jumped down for the starting spot above the tunnel to their goal which she needed to defend and began to make her charge. Kichi meanwhile used Anchor to grapple onto the tunnel over the goal and pulled out his rail gun.

"And Misherukuro of the Alpha team is making a strong run toward the fumbi firing her sub-machine guns at Taowel of the Beta team as she goes. Oh! and Taowel just got sniped from KichiK's rail gun!"

"Nice one Kichi!"

Misheru said over their team chat as she kicked it into high gear, grabbing the fumbi and going into a dash as she raced up the ramp toward the tunnel to reach the goal to score.

"And Misherukuro is almost there! Will she go all the way! Oh no! She got gunned down right as she was entering the tunnel by both Taowel and Whitemantis and it looks like they are going to go reset."

Right as Misheru reappeared in the blue wires on their side of the field she heard the all too familiar call signifying that the ball had been reset.

"KichiK of the Alpha team is rushing toward the fumbi, Taowel and Whitemantis right on it as well."

"Shoot! Coming Kichi!"

Misheru called out as she dashed down their ramp, quickly making their way toward the center of the field she held out her arm and the Smash Rifle appeared over her hand the shield shaped weapon raised at the ready as she unleashed a barrage of the needle like blasts at both Tao and Mantis.

"And KichiK has grabbed the fumbi. How long will he last though with both Taowel and Whitemantis blasting at him though. "

Suddenly in their visors they would see that two people had joined the room, one of which was OwlEyes, another member of their clan. They had been so caught up in the match they hadn't even realized he had signed in and sure enough the next moment there was the all too familiar bright blue laser blast from a rail gun flying from Misheru's side of the field sending Mantis spiraling. Misheru then finished off Tao with a barrage of needles from the Smash Rifle.

"The Alpha team is still continuing their charge forward. KichiK still with the fumbi in hand. Will they make a Touch Down! Oh No! He's been gunned down by BloodMachine!"

The second new member who had joined grabbed the fumbi for only about a second until he was gunned down by Misheru. This was a blitz tactic the two of them were employing, one rush in and at least one other person following to provide back up in case it was needed.

"Misheru has grabbed the fumbi and it seems she is rushing into the tunnel unopposed. Wait! She's taking fire will she make it!? Touch Down!"

Misheru had used the storm bat unleashing the spinning swing three times propelling her into the goal much as a Plasma sword's dash attack would do. She smiled as they all vanished in the green ones and zeros.

"Start! Show me your S4!"

The announcement went off yet again. Signifying the start of the new round. They yet again dashed out of the blue wires and down the ramp into the field. Owl stayed near the goal, to guard as well as to snipe, hiding behind the support for the goal tunnel right above his head. Kichi and Misheru again raced towards the fumbi as did Tao and Mantis.

"And it appears there is a bit of a stale mate as both teams are taking fire. Who will break through to get the fumbi!"

Misheru cursed under her breath as she was gunned down by BloodMachine's smash rifle and watched as he broke through claiming the fumbi. Taowel took down Kichi and the three of them pressed forward. Was it a mistake for all of them to leave their goal undefended? Time would tell.

"Oh OwlEyes has gunned down BloodMachine, However he wasn't fast enough to reclaim the fumbi and Taowel has picked it up. He and Whitemantis are heading into the tunnel."

"Dang it!"

Misheru said in agitation as she respawned and jumped down below racing into the tunnel her storm bat slung over her shoulders as she raced to catch up to them. It was too late though.

"Touch Down! They tied the game!"

They all vanished yet again as they returned to their starting spots to start the next round.

"Start! Show me your S4!"

Again the announcement stated and yet again and both teams began to implement their strategies. A number of semi-pros and rookies joined the match making it five on five. It seemed though that all of the semi-pros ended up on the Alpha team. From there on it it was no real contest the rest of the first and second half went flying by in the time period of about 10 minutes. The final score ten to three, the Alpha Team the winner.

"Well that was fun, good game guys."

Kichi said with a smile on his face as he looked at the group. While the others left the room in silence. Misheru turned her attention back to her friends list, a look of intense focus on her face as she looked at the list.

"Looks like James is out of his match as well. Let's hurry!"

She said urgently as she left the room vanishing in the same usual series of ones and zeros. The other members of the clan soon followed. When they arrived they saw Misheru with her arms wrapped around Gamoden who returned her hug, a small smile on his face.

"Love... I've been so worried about you how are you online right now?"

"What do you mean I am still on at home aren't I?"

Gamoden replied clearly confused. To him it seemed as if nothing had happened. Definitely a possible effect of Virtual Reality is that one could lose touch of their physical being sometimes.

"No James you've been hospitalized." Misheru answered, "I came home last night to find you on the floor unconscious. The doctor's say you've fallen into a coma. Do you remember anything at all?"

Gamoden looked at all of them, scanning their eyes for any sign that they might just be playing some kind of joke on him. But even through their virtual eyes he had a strong feeling they were telling the truth as he lowered himself down into one of the chairs in the lobby, seemingly deep in thought.

"The last thing I remember was participating in a Chaser Match, I was defeated by some player and the next thing I remember I kind of woke up lying on the floor here in the lobby... I remember the strangest sensation... like I had been punched in the chest, but nothing about hitting the floor or anything like that. But if what you say is the truth... How am I still here?"

"We're not sure..." Kichi answered honestly. He looked at his friend with a worried look on his face, "Have you tried logging out at all?"

Gamoden looked up at Kichi as he spoke and shook his head in reply.

"No I haven't... Maybe if I log out I will wake up."

He replied as he pulled out his My Panel and searched for the shut down button that would log him out of the game. He found it and quickly pressed the button. He vanished in a series of ones and zeros for a few seconds until the sequence returned and Gamoden reformed. He looked around, a look of disappointment set on his face as he realized the truth.

"Looks like I can't log out... I'm stuck here."

Misheru walked up to Gamoden, gently placing her hand on his shoulder and he turned and gave her a small smile, gently grabbing onto her hand and giving it a light squeeze before he removed it.

"Thanks love... but I need some time to myself right now."

Gamoden replied as he gently kissed her cheek and then began to move away from the group. He was confused and now he too was trying to figure out how this could have happened. His mind mulled through the memories of the previous night. This had all happened during that Chaser match...

"Sure in the story of the game the Chaser Virus is a controlled virus but I don't see how that could somehow do this... This doesn't make any sense."

He was muttering to himself, staring blankly at one of the boards as he sat in one of the chairs, kind of lost in his own thoughts. He didn't know what to think about this new development.

"How could I have not noticed something as drastic as a separation of mind from body...? Seems like something that would be hard to miss..."

Misheru and the others watched Gamoden as he seemed locked in this strange inactive state. She was worried about him for sure but until he was ready she didn't know if there was any way to help him. To realize that he couldn't log out and while he was here his body was in a coma... it had to be a lot to absorb.

"So what now?" She asked as she looked at the other members of her clan, they all seemed to be just as confused as she was, "Any ideas?"

"Well he mentioned a Chaser match." Amy replied, "Maybe we should try a match ourselves and see if anything seems out of the ordinary."

The rest of the group nodded their heads in consent. It seemed the most logical way to get information, though maybe not the safest approach. Sometimes though to find the truth one had to do something that could be seen as foolish or reckless.

"Alright, I'll start up a room, I'll send you all invites shortly."

Kichi said right before he disappeared into ones and zeros as usual. As before the next minute they received an invite to the room and they all accessed their My Panels and hit the button to join the room. Below them the all too familiar Temple O came into place. Kichi no longer had the lag problems in Connest 2 that he used to have back before the game had gone virtual. However, some things never changed and he preferred Temple O over it any of the other stages anyway. With the members of Clan Shinsei it was already more the enough people to start the match so they all just readied up and started the match. As soon as they started a number of other people joined. Names that appeared as nothing but flashes along the bottom of the screen, one of which was the final member of Clan Shinsei Arcanafate.

"This is the Chaser..."

The traditional announcement began as Kichi stood in the center of the shrine as the Chaser Virus came down from behind, placing it's skeletal hand upon his head. The purple detailing of his clothes had turned red and his hair had turned white. Kichi's "pimp rifle" the black and gold semi-rifle in his hands.

"Bring it."

"Oh boy..."

Seemed to be the general consensus of the Clan members. In Chaser Kichi was probably the deadliest, his favorite weapons the Storm Bat, Rail Gun, and Semi-rifle. Kichi charged forward, it seemed like this was going to be an easy round for him since there were only four targets. It didn't take long for him to send Whitemantis crashing into a wall, dead in one hit with a storm bat strike. It didn't take more then a few more seconds for Taowel to meet the same fate. Misheru was the next to fall not even five seconds later defeated by Kichi's "pimp rifle". OwlEyes lasted the longest using a combination of shield and counter sword. However, with a few seconds left he was defeated by the Storm Bat as well.

"Next round will be starting."

Kichi stood doing his usual rock, paper, scissors spam in triumph until he like the others disappeared and they all waited for the second round to start.

"This is the Chaser..."

Their cameras focused on the shrine. Zoomed in on one of the other people who entered during the round. This person was adorned in the Midfield gear that Gamoden enjoyed wearing, although he didn't wear a face mask. The red midfield coat very fitting for the chaser, his bare chest exposed. The black detailings of the coat remained black and the white armor plates on the boots had turned black and the boots red. The Chaser's name for this round was BloodyReaper. The name seeming to fit very well with the color scheme of his clothes as well as his intense facial expression.

"Bring it."

Due to his success in the first round Kichi was in first place, unfortunately for him, this made him the initial target. Before Kichi could get away from the window a stream of bullets from the Heavy Machine Gun had shattered the glass. The Chaser soon closed the distance as he jumped into the room where Kichi was. Jon noted that as he ran that the heartbeat that one would often hear when the Chaser was near was the sound of his own beating heart and it was pumping at an incredible rate.

"Guys stay away from this guy... Leave the room now!"

Jon yelled in the general chat and succeeded in entering it right as he was defeated, the high speed rounds of the Heavy Machine Gun too hard to avoid. Just as what had happened to Gamoden the night before Kichi was forced out of the room. As Kichi had instructed the other members of Clan Shinsei got out their My Panels and flipped to the Leave Room screen only to see nothing but an image of the Chaser Virus' head laughing at them. The option of escape it seemed was not an option after all.

"Not good I'm target." Owl declared as he began to run away, his own heart beginning to pound as the Chaser closed in, "Aaah!"

He yelled out in pain as he too was defeated by the Heavy Machine Gun and same as Kichi, was forced out of the room.

"What is happening? Why can't we leave the room like usual?"

Whitemantis asked as she began to fire at the Chaser in a confused panic, not sure if it would do any good but it was better in her eyes then just letting herself be defeated by the Chaser. Thankfully for her though she wasn't the target. However, Misheru was the designated target.

"I think... this is what happened to James. Ah!"

Misheru exclaimed as the bullets of the same Heavy Machine Gun soon defeated her as well. It seemed though that for Mantis, Taowel, and Arcanafate that time was on their side as the round came to an end and hopefully the chaos would end as well.

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Next round will be starting!"

They all vanished going back to the respawn points. The remaining members of Clan Shinsei letting out a sigh of relief for now. However, they were now truly worried about the fate of their friends and fellow Clan Members. If Misheru was right then they would be stuck in the game just like Gamoden was.

"This is the Chaser..."

Their cameras focused yet again on the center shrine and their temporary relief vanished as fear took it's place as standing inside the shrine was BloodyReaper yet again.

"Bring It!"

The Heavy Machine Gun yet again whirled to life as the drum began to spin and the stream of bullets once again shattered the glass window that they were behind. Followed shortly after by the Chaser.

"No!"

Taowel yelled out as he was defeated, the first target of this round. Yet again immediately being forced out of the room. Leaving only Mantis and Arcana as the last members of Clan Shinsei standing. Now more then ever they wanted nothing more then to leave the room.

"Yowww!!!"

Mantis yelled out as she too was defeated, the stream of bullets ripping through her virtual form without mercy and she too was forced out of the room. Arcana unfortunately followed not long after. All of the members of Clan Shinsei were defeated and in their respective homes outside of the game all of their bodies fell to the floor and their screens showed nothing but static until they too faded to black...

When all of them came to they were lying on the floor in the Lobby, Gamoden sitting next to Misheru holding her hand gently. He looked up at all of them as they came to. He was no fool, he had watched their activity through his My Panel and he already knew the outcome. His words did not really reveal any emotion as he looked at all of them.

"Now you all are stuck here... Like me."

"Damnit James... always dragging us into your crap. I have tests and important stuff to worry about... I can't be in a coma... now we all are thanks to you. Gosh, why do you have to phail so hard." stressed


All jokes aside, great job! This showing serious improvement, it's only the second chapter and it's already getting a whole lot better. The length you're writing is also very impressive. Keep up the good work! I look forward to the next development!

Wow been a long time since anything was posted in here time to fix that! I have a new art for you all. Say hello to the revamped version of Kuro Oni.

((OMG I finally got around to finishing my third chapter of this fanfic. Ridiculous that it took as long as it did, but since the group has mostly run off to play PSU I kind of lost my muse for this one for awhile. I hope my writing didn't suffer because of the break the S4 League but I'll leave you guys to determine that. Enjoy))



Everyone looked at Gamoden as he spoke, not sure what to say in response. It was not exactly an easy concept to grasp. Suddenly being stuck here in this virtual world. Their bodies in a coma on the outside world. At least they all knew that there were people who would be aware of their condition. Michelle and James had Dawn living with them, Amy lived with her parents, Kichi had his room mates as did the others. However, that just raised more problems really…

"Oh James!" Misheru said as she wrapped her arms around him, clearly she was very worried about all of this, "What are we going to do? We have the apartment we need to take care of and work and rent… We can't just be stuck here."

Gamoden held his wife close to him and nodded his head in agreement to her words, unsure of what to say in response though. Still he had to say something.

"I know love… Though I am not all that sure there is anything we can do until we can figure out the cause of all of this."

"This is not good!" Whitemantis yelled suddenly, "Don't get me wrong, somehow this is all very cool, like something out of .Hack but we can't just say here. We all have bills and work!"

Gamoden couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her reaction. This was definitely like something out of .hack, an anime that a lot of the members of Clan Shinsei apparently liked. He had thought very much the same thing after the shock of their virtualization had finally passed.

"So are you all alright?"

Gamoden asked as he looked at the group, all of them seemed to have come to, not that that was a good thing. It just meant that all of them had fallen to same thing that he had. Not that it was a good thing, but there were worse possible fates, it could have killed them.

"Aside from being stuck here, yeah we all are fine. Or as fine as those who are comatose can be." Owl replied, "Michelle maybe you should check the message boards, see if anyone has replied."

"Oh! Right!"

Misheru said as she quickly rose to her feet and made her way over to the message boards. Her hopeful expression soon turned to one of confusion and concern as she looked at the message.

"That's strange…"

Gamoden quickly got up and followed after her, placing his hand on her shoulder as he looked at the board with her.

"What is?"

"The topic I posted… it says it's been deleted by the system administration."

"You're right," He said as he gently rubbed her shoulder, "Well we can can always repost. Everyone get over here and post your username in response! Maybe we will get word if they see just how many people have been effected."

Misheru quickly pulled out her My Panel and began typing into the text pad to a new topic to the message boards. The message read:

Topic: Clan Shinsei - unable to log out.

The following members who will post their own replies were playing a Chaser Match when they were defeated and are now stuck in the game… Though we are still somehow still logged in and able to act, our bodies outside of this game are in a comatose state. Anybody with information regarding this strange occurrence please tell us what you know.

MisheruKuro

"Alright guys, punch in your replies now."

Misheru said as she stepped away when she was finished. Gamoden then pulled out his My Panel and began to type in his message, it read:

Please help us, any bit of information helps!

Gamoden

The other members of Clan Shinsei who were there followed suit, all of them typing up their own replies and adding them to Misheru's topic. All of them with the same hope that they would get some kind of answer from someone. They had no
idea how long it was going to take for them to get a reply if any though.

"So what now guys?" Gamoden asked, looking at the group, It's going to get pretty boring if we just sit here waiting. Shall we do some kind of match?"

"Is it safe love?" Misheru asked him, a look of concern on her face, "Who knows what else could happen while we're stuck here… Is it wise to tempt things?"

"I was already in a match when you guys first got on after I was virtualized remember? Sure it's a little weird not having a body at all for a few seconds as you re-spawn but believe me it's safe. As long as we stay away from Chaser matches we should be fine."

It took a bit, but finally everyone was swayed by Gamoden's logic and agreed that it was better then just sitting around doing nothing. So they agreed to do a Death Match at good old Neden 1. Kichi as usual, making the room naming it "BLARG" and before long the match was underway. Kichi had left it open, since it was currently a four on three match. Gamoden, Kichi, Michelle and Owl against Mantis, Taowel and ArcanaFate.

Gamoden ran up the ramp that was his groups starting point, his sub-machine guns at the ready as he surveyed the area. Immediately checking around for their opponents. With confidence he went into a "Dash" running across the bridge just seconds before it was destroyed by gunfire.

'From the roof!'

He quickly deduced as he saw the angle the bullets came from. Before he could even raise his guns though OwlEyes had blasted Arcana with his Rail Gun classic sniper style. No time to celebrate though as Gamoden quickly pulled out his Counter Sword to come down upon Taowel with the jumping strike. The large telekinetic gauntlet coming down with impact and finishing off Tao with the upward psychic hand that erupted up from the ground. Sending him flying before he turned into ones and zeroes. Mantis soon went down taken down by Michelle's sub-machine guns as they fought down below in the waterway that ran through the middle of the area. Making the score three to zero. However, it was a long way till the 100 possible points and plenty of time still on the clock for anything to happen.

As soon as he thought that sure enough Taowel had come down from the roof of the warehouse above, defeating Gamoden in the same fashion that he had just been defeated. With the fierce in air strike of the Counter Sword. Misheru was soon defeated too as Arcana gunned her down with his semi-rifle from the roof. However, he was shortly after defeated by Kichi with his golden semi-rifle coined the "Pimp rifle". Kichi didn't last long either though as Mantis managed to actually catch him off guard and finished him off with a vicious smack of her Storm Bat sending him falling into the waterway before disappearing to respawn.

This usual chaos of the Death Match continued through the first half of the match. In the end, numbers making the difference but not by much as the team of Kichi, Misheru, Owl, and Gamoden led by only four points at the end of the first half. This was what the game was all about, and during the match they would gladly forget about the misfortune that had befallen them. The usual adrenaline rush pushing them all further at least they knew that it would. When half time ended they switched their starting locations. However, they all noted on their My Panels that there was the addition of a new face to the match, but not to them as their fellow clan member Dawn as FewSunlight joined the match. Evening out the teams to four on four.

When the Fumbi Dance, the "Half Time Show", concluded on their My Panels. The match resumed, Gamoden spawning on the other side of the map. Behind a fence that was right next to a small building. He did his usual, going into a "Dash" and running around the building into an area enclosed by a fence. Without even exiting the "Dash" He ran toward the fence outside of the building next to him and jumped, his feet planting into the side of if, followed by a push off that resulted in an in air flip, his feet planting into the wall of the building and pushing off again.. The all too familiar wall jump combination carried him up and over the fence he had just pushed off of and onto the roof of the large warehouse that served as one of the major vantage points of this stage.His Heavy Machine gun out and at the ready just as he saw one of his opponents run into the warehouse he was standing on top of. He quickly unleashed a stream of bullets, destroying the sections of the roof which he was standing on and fired down at Mantis from above. The bullets too fast for her to really dodge and she was soon defeated. However, Gamoden was soon defeated by the all too familiar blue laser to the face from Taowel's Rail Gun, finishing him in one hit.

"Stupid Son of a Rail Gun!"

He yelled out as he respawned. Quickly running back into the fray. Misheru and FewSunlight were busy doing their usual fun duel of the Storm Bats down in the waterway. However, it didn't last long as the lightning struck from Misheru's jumping strike followed up by a fast swing that sent Sunlight flying.

"Hey Tao! Hey Tao! Hi!"

Kichi yelled out right as he blasted Taowel right in the face with the Rail Gun. Owl took care of Arcana with a Counter Sword strike but was soon defeated by Dawn with a strike from her Storm Bat. Gamoden then ran into Mantis who was trying to find a safe place to hide and before she could expect it, opened fire finishing her with a few shots of his Sub-machine guns.

"You let your guard down!", He said to her. It wasn't really a chastisement so much as advice. One could never let their guard down in this game or they would end up being defeated. Case in point as Gamoden soon after went flying due to another blast of none other then a Rail Gun coming from Tao. "Guess I need to follow my own advice…"

Much like the first half, the second half proceeded in the same usual, expected chaos. People always getting beaten when they least expected it, bullets flying all over the field. If the field showed the damage it had taken instead of repairing everything that was destroyed, it would probably look a lot like swiss cheese. Before they knew it though the second half of the Death Match came to an end. In the end, the lead that Kichi, Gamoden, Owl, and Misheru had gained had doubled. But it was still close, the match ending at 100 to 92.

"See? Nothing to worry about." Gamoden said with a smile on his face as they appeared back in the waiting room, the familiar scene of Neden 1 from an aerial view still below them, "That was a good match though…"

He then turned his attention to FewSunlight, and though there was a smile on his face. She could probably note the concern in his voice as he spoke.

"I am surprised to see that you logged on, considering you of all people should know what happened. Well to Michelle and I at least."

She nodded her head in reply, she didn't seem concerned though as she considered his words.

"Well, I wasn't about to let what happened to you two stop me from getting rid of my boredom. But… How are you guys here when you both fell into comas?"

Gamoden rubbed the back of his head as he tried to figure out how best to word it. Of course she knew it happened to them, she lived with them as their room mate. Still she definitely needed to be warned about what was going on and possibly inform the others of the clan as well.

"Alright. Well it's not just Michelle and myself… Kichi, Rhiko, Tao, Amy, and Nick are the same way. Outside of this game we're in comas. But it's like we've become virtualized and we now control our avatars as if they are our real bodies. If you're going to still play, that's fine. But you need to stay away from Chaser matches. They're no longer safe. Being defeated by a Chaser is what got us all into this mess… Huh?"

His attention shifted to his My Panel as he received a notice of someone inviting him to a different room. The name on the invite wasn't familiar to him, but something was odd about the message. There was no decline option, only an accept. His eyes narrowed at it in curiosity.

'Well that's definitely different…'

He looked up from his My Panel to see the others who had also been virtualized looking at their My Panels as well. The same curious looks on their faces that he had as no doubt they had noticed the same thing about it that he did.

"You guys too? From some person named Leo?" The others looked at him and nodded, except for Dawn who looked at all of them confused, "What should we do?"

Everyone seemed to look from person to person for a minute, all of them considering the courses of action. Either ignore the strange message or accept and find out what is going on.

"To not have that other option sounds like a moderator or something like that… It's possible someone has a lead for us. I say we go." Kichi replied first, his logic did make sense in a way. The others seemed to nod their heads in general consent. "Well?"

The others who had gotten the message nodded their heads in consent and began hitting the accept button on their My Panels. All of them vanishing in the usual sequence of green ones and zeros and leaving the waiting room. Before he left though, Gamoden turned his attention to FewSunlight who having not been virtualized, obviously hadn't gotten the invite they all had.

"We'll meet you in the Lobby when we're finished with whatever is going on alright Dawn?"

When she nodded silently in understanding he pressed the button and was gone leaving in the same fashion as the others did. For awhile they would all see nothing but darkness until suddenly they would all appear in the all too familiar stage of Temple O. There had been no waiting room or anything like that to enter. It was fairly obvious that this place had been designed specifically for this meeting. They were standing in the center of the octagonal ring the shrine in the middle. They would notice that there were no entryways into the inner structure of the stage. Leaving only the inner wall and the courtyard they stood in and the Shrine in front of them. Around and in the shrine though, was a rather intimidating sight.

Surrounding the members of Clan Shinsei were many different people, some of them casually sitting on the surrounding walls, others standing on the top of the shrine. Some of them even stood on the ground of the level, very close by to the clan members. All of them though had their eyes set on one thing only, and that was the group.

"Greetings. I am Leo, the system administrator who summoned you here. You have been brought here because of what you have posted on the message boards."

The voice that they heard was deep and solemn as the man who spoke stepped out from the center of the shrine in front of them. Walking down the ramp toward the group. This man was quite possibly the most intimidating of them all in appearance. The avatar had long white hair and a beard, the face of it ancient an wise. All of the group would recognize the hair, face and the clothing style as the complete "Master" series. The dark blue clothing that looked like a half haori jacket with a sleeveless shirt that seemed to be composed of many straps. As well as a pair of striped pants and wide belt that seemed to be made of an orange and white rope. On the back of the belt was an orange drinking gourd. The gloves were dark blue tekkos and the shoes were special sandals. The complete ensemble was indeed a very formidable sight.

"Now then, just so you know. Your forum post has yet again removed. Just as your original one was. Until we find the opportune time to release the information to the public we must keep this situation under control and under wraps."

The group listened intently as Leo explained why Misheru's first post had been deleted and now revealed that the second post that they had all replied to had been removed as well.

"You're just going to keep it all quiet? As if nothing is going on!?"

Whitemantis yelled out at Leo, clearly she was confused as to why everything had to be kept quiet. If the others didn't understand it then they were keeping quiet about it. It was hard to tell if she was angry or just frustrated with the situation.

"We have no choice! If word got out to the general public about the this situation, we would eventually be forced to shut down the game and the system. We cannot risk that happening for fear of what might happen the others who are stuck here like you, and we are sure there are others…"

Before Leo could finish Gamoden stepped forward, his eyes locked on the man that stood before them.

"I get what you're saying… But what exactly is the situation. None of us understand what is going on around here."

Leo nodded his head in understanding, going silent for a moment as he thought intently about how to explain it to them. It seemed that the other administrators and moderators that were gathered around them were allowing him to do all the talking to the group, acting as the representative for them all.

"Alright, listen up then and I'll explain. An organization that calls themselves the Clan Reaper hacked our system and stole the data for the Daemon Chaser Virus. At first it didn't really seem to be a problem. Though of course now we see otherwise. They have altered the virus somehow. Their members causing chaos by joining regular Chaser Matches. Somehow the ones who have the altered virus are the only ones that can be chosen… and well you already know what happens when someone is defeated by them."

"So why don't you just shut down the Chaser matches? Or better yet, delete the accounts of the people who control the altered virus? I think we can give you two of their names." OwlEyes asked after listening intently to the Administrator's explanation. "It seems like a better idea then just letting them run rampant. The Daemon Virus can only exist within a Chaser Match right?"

"If we shut down the Chaser Matches we lose our only lead." Leo explained, not even hesitating, "We need to monitor the situation so that we can gather more information on it. Try and figure out how it was altered, find a way to predict how and when it shows up. It is the only way we can hope to find a way to stop it. As for deleting the accounts responsible… We have tried that as well. But somehow the people responsible never show up in the databases. This is another reason that we called you here."

Now things were getting interesting. They had all assumed that Leo and the others had simply called them here to explain the situation and get them to stop posting messages regarding it on the message boards. But now it was apparent that wasn't all there was to it. The members of Clan Shinsei all looked at each other before looking back at Leo and all the other silent administrators. Aside from the slight shifting movements from where they stood or sat one would have to question if they weren't just included in this area for decoration or something.

"Well? What is the other reason that you called us here for them?" Gamoden asked Leo as he focused his thoughts and attention back on the intimidating figure. "Do you want us to help you in someway?"

"That is exactly what we want. We need you as a Clan to participate in Chaser Matches and try and gather information regarding Clan Reaper." Leo paused momentarily before continuing, "We have placed into your data a tracer if you will, that will gather information as you are near the Daemon Virus. We will be able to tell when you are dealing with an altered virus or the original. We have also done the same to the others who have fallen comatose and we will be recruiting them to help as well."

"So basically, you're using those who have fallen comatose instead of risking yourselves or others who have not. I guess that makes sense." Kichi replied after Leo had finished, "So you'll want us to participate in Chaser Matches again."

"Indeed." The system administrator replied. "Any amount of information you're able to gather will help."

The group yet again seemed to consider it for a moment. It wasn't as though they really had anything better to do. If they were part of the "problem" so to speak then they might as well be part of the solution. They all conversed amongst themselves for a few minutes, not seeming to care about all of the other people looking down upon them before they all came to a consensus.

"Fine then we'll help you." Gamoden replied, speaking for the group as a whole, "It doesn't seem like we have all that much of a choice."

Leo nodded in confirmation to them as he stood where he had the entire time not moving at all.

"I have sent all of you a friend request. Please accept it. However, do not try to contact me unless it is an emergency. That is all that I have to say. We will be in touch in the future."

With that he vanished in the all too familiar sequence and the other moderators and administrators, as silent as they had all been had also vanished. Leaving the Clan members standing in the now empty courtyard alone.

'Well no use sticking around here.' Gamoden thought as he turned his attention yet again to his friends, "Let's head back."

The others nodded and they all left the room together to appear back in the Main Lobby. As soon as they showed up they were greeted by not just FewSunlight, but another member of their clan, ArcticFeredir. Outside of the game he was known as Joe though. The two of them quickly made their way over to the others.

"So what was all that about?" FewSunlight asked them curiously, "What happened wherever you went?"

"We were summoned by the System Administrators. They explained to us what happened and told us that they wanted our help to gather data for them regarding the altered Daemon Virus that did this to us." Gamoden replied to her, a serious look on his face as he stroked the hair of the goatee that his character had, "That's about all that they told us though."

"So from what Dawn has explained to me… you guys are stuck here because of getting defeated by a Chaser is that right?"

ArcticFeredir asked, surveying his fellow friends and clan members. He was wearing what looked like a sleeveless sports vest. Simple Gloves, The padded pants that most beginners wore, and simple tennis shoes from the beginning attire. On his head in his short black hair were horns that stuck upward though they were nothing more then an accessory.

"Pretty much." Kichi said with a simple nod of his head, "Hopefully Dawn told you but stay out of the Chaser Matches. It seems to be the only place that i's dangerous. We all did a regular match before and it was fine. Speaking of… Anyone up for a Touch Down Match?"

"Sure, why not. Let's go to Hyperium."

Misheru and FewSunlight couldn't help but jump a bit in excitement. They had had fun at that stage, Gamoden hadn't even tried it out yet despite it being around for a long time. Kichi vanished as usual to go make the room and before long they received the usual invite and all teleported to the Waiting Room. They all entered their names into the system and then hit the Change team button, this time randomizing it instead of the usual selected teams.

"Alright guys, ready up!"

Kichi said as they all stood around the terminals and waited for the match to start, on their My Panels almost in unison all of them hit the Ready buttons and they all teleported down to the field below.

"Start! Show my your S4!"

The teams had ended up as Misheru, Gamoden, Mantis, and Owl against Kichi, Taowel, ArcanaFate, and FewSunlight. Everyone noted that Arctic didn't actually follow them but left without a word. It worked out though because it meant that no one who wanted to play got left out.

The two teams immediately rushed out of the starting gate and all made a mad dash toward the very center of the soccer field arena. Misheru took off using her Flying ability, unleashing a barrage of bullets at their opponents with her Heavy Machine Gun. Dispensing of Tao who was unable to dodge all of the fire. However, they weren't fast enough to stop Kichi from grabbing the fumbi who then shot a hole into the arena floor, causing him to drop down into the underside of the arena. A usually safe and quick way to the other side of the field.

"And KichiK currently has the fumbi, dropping down into the lower arena he has now broken into a "Dash" to get to the other side." The commentator said, "He seems to be making his way up the ramp, approaching the goal. Oh No!"

The commentator called out as Gamoden managed to finish off Kichi with a blast of his Burst Shotgun. He quickly rushed forward grabbing the fumbi and making his way out of their goal area and quickly blew open the floor just as Kichi had doe and ran along the side of it until he shot out the floor above him appearing right next to their opponent's goal. He quickly ran around the corner into the hallway that lead to their goal.

"Gamoden might just go all the way Oh!"

The commentator called out right as Kichi dropped down from their starting spot, dropping through the colored wires on their side of the field and stuck Gamoden at the last second with the bat and accidentally knocked Gamoden into the goal.

"Touch Down! They take the lead! Despite KichiK finishing him off, he knocked Gamoden and the fumbi into the goal for a touch down!"

The field was reset and the countdown began to start the next round as everyone disappeared and reappeared waiting for the signal to start.

"Start! Show me your S4!"

At the signal much like the first round they all took the offensive once again, rushing down from their starting place and racing toward the Fumbi at the center of the soccer field. This time Kichi's team seemed a bit better in sync, acting like a team.

"Oh! Misherukuro got gunned down by ArcanaFate. That is definitely a disadvantage to repeating the same move."

Sure enough, she had tried the exact same thing that she had done at the beginning of the first round, taking to the air, her mechanical looking wings taking her high above. However, it made her a big target as Arcana took her down with his Rail Gun.

"And KichiK has gotten the fumbi, he is making a mad dash toward the opponent's goal. He is very good at dodging the fire from his opposition. What's this!?"

The commentator yelled out as Kichi suddenly used Anchoring, aiming for the area above the barricade that surrounded the goal. He successfully latched onto it and the sled under his feet quickly carried up and above the field. He then dropped down with a free run into the goal!

"Touch Down! They tied the game! A wonderful use of anchoring to bypass the defenses of the arena."

Back and forth and back and forth the match went. There was never really a definite lead during either the first half of the second half for that matter. At the end of the match it ended up as a draw at nine to nine.

"Just a few seconds more and I would have scored." Gamoden said as he let out a sigh, "Great match though! I don't it's ever been that close before."

"Yeah good game guys!" Kichi said with a smile on his face, exhaustion showing clearly on his face. "You guys are all getting really good."

They all seemed to have a great time, for the time being it seemed as though their misfortune had been forgotten. Even though they were stuck in the game and didn't know if they would ever be able to return home, it didn't mean that they couldn't enjoy it as best they could. They knew there was going to be serious trials ahead of them. However, they would face it together as friends and as Clan Shinsei.