Mirror Dance
Introduction: I was originally going to post this as a
.Hack/Sign fanfiction, but while it is also a virtual
reality fiction, it's not really based in the world
from that anime series. However, it does have a
similar shoujoai plot line, so if you were not a fan
of .Hack/Sign I would recommend skipping this.
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"Come on," the warrior cried, leading the race through
the trees, his chain mail shirt shining when the
sunlight cut through the branches to light them up.
Short black hair fell down into dark brown eyes, the
sword that he carried gleaming as the handsome young
man reached up to push a branch aside for his
companion.
"Do you think we'll make it there, Shadow?" the slim
blonde woman following him asked with a grateful
smile, her long hooded cloak flowing behind her. The
belt that she wore with her simple robes was lined
with different sized pouches filled with many
different ingredients and a wooden staff was carried
in her hand.
"We have to Atheme," Shadow answered her, using his
sword to cut through some dangling branches, "it's the
only high ground in the area that we spotted."
"Look out," Atheme cried out as the figure broke
through the brush.
The orc was clearly a scout for the larger party that
was still chasing them, likely sent ahead to try to
keep track of them. It was only the beast's bad luck
that they had ended up crossing each other's path, but
that had sealed it's fate. It was bulky and muscular,
tusked fangs sticking out from it's lower jaw, a
rusted sword clasped in clawed hands.
Shadow stepped forward smoothly, the young man meeting
the thing's first strike with his own blade, the steel
ringing like a bell. They stood there a moment,
testing each other's strength, then Shadow smiled
slightly. With a simple thrust of his powerful
shoulders he forced the enemy's roughly made blade up
and away, then he stepped forward to cut the orc down
with one swift strike.
Taking a moment to clean the blood from his blade on
the creature's stained garb Shadow asked, "How close
are they?"
"Too close," Atheme answered as they heard the sound
of branches breaking nearby, "I think it's time to
slow them down a bit."
With that Atheme held her staff in front of her,
murmuring softly under her breath as all around her
slim body an orange glow rose up, shimmering as her
cloak was blown behind her by the waves of energy.
With a final word she made a throwing gesture and the
orange light flowed together in a ball of pure
destructive power, streaking off to where their
pursuers awaited. THOOM! Not far away the forest
suddenly exploded into fire and light, the shockwave
ruffling both of the adventurers as they turned to
hurry off.
"That was nicely done," a smiling Shadow admitted as
they finally broke out from the thick greenery and
found the base of the hill that they were running
towards, "though I hope that you don't need that
energy more later on."
The two of them raced up the small hill, swiftly
taking up defensive positions there as Atheme looked
up at Shadow and flashed him a very warm smile. "Then
I'll just have to depend on your strong arm and
valiant heart to protect me," she said.
A faint blush colored Shadow's cheeks as the young man
met his partner's eyes and gruffly said, "You can rely
on me."
From the greenery below them the sounds of greenery
being violently forced aside, then the figures began
to emerge at the base of the hill, gathering for the
coming battle. Most of the band of brigands were orcs,
but there were also a mix of wolves, large, stone-like
trolls and other creatures of darkness there too. At
the lead there were two fully human figures, and they
could tell that both of the fighters were player
characters.
"Just mid rank fighters," Atheme murmured to Shadow as
the creatures readied to attack, "I wonder how did
they enslave so many minor monsters?"
"Spent a lot of their treasure on buying control
spells, probably," Shadow answered her as he raised
his sword to the guard position. A grim little smile
tugged his lips as he said, "Lets make it a waste of
money, shall we?"
"Lets," a smiling Atheme agreed as the monsters
charged up the hill to where they stood waiting, back
to back.
Not long afterward there was silence on the
battlefield, where once there had been the sounds of
violence. The ground was littered by fallen foes, the
numerous monsters and their human masters defeated
soundly by the two champions of the light.
"Thanks," Shadow sat with his back up against the
tree, Atheme gently wrapping a bandage around his
wounded upper arm. Other than a nasty looking cut
there the two of them had escaped the battle mostly
unscathed, unlike their enemies.
"Considering you got hurt saving me from that troll,"
Atheme said sheepishly, "it's the least I can do.".
She gently spread healing balm over the wound before
finishing covering it up, tying the cloth bandage
firmly. “So, what do you want to do now?” she asked
him with a little smile, pushing her cloak away from
her face.
“I’ve got to log off pretty soon,” Shadow admitted,
pushing himself back to his feet and while walking a
bit stiffly went over to one of the fallen monsters.
Smoothly he wiped the sword's blade clean on it's
rough garment then slid it away with a flourish.
“Shadow?” Atheme’s voice stopped him from walking away
as she softly said, “I want to meet you out in the
real world.”
“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Shadow smiled
slightly as he looked back to gaze at her, a few
strands of black hair falling into his face. Gently he
pointed out to her, “I could be hideous looking in
real life.”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Atheme answered.
Shadow stood there for a moment, studying her as he
silently wrestled with what she had just said, then
without answering the figure simply dissolved, the
slim young man swiftly unraveling into a cloud of
pixels that glistened a moment in the summer sun.
"Wait," Atheme started to say then trailed off,
realizing that Shadow had logged off. With a sigh she
disconnected as well, leaving the battlefield empty
once more.
The real world was so different than VR, almost like
night and day. Outside the bedroom window snow was
gently falling down, covering the ground with a thick
white sheet. The room itself was slightly crowded, a
old desk, single bed and bookshelves taking up the
space with only a bit of navigation room left over.
"I shouldn't have just logged out on her like that,"
Michelle muttered to herself as she pulled the visor
and sensor gloves off. Known to her good friends as
Miki and on-line as the dashing warrior Shadow, she
bore a striking resemblance to her on-line self.
Delicate black hair, a slim but muscular build, those
were all the same but she was also quite clearly
female.
Without letting herself think about it too much Miki
sat down on her bed and then picked up her cellphone,
dialing her friend's number from memory. "Hey Cathy,"
she sighed as her friend picked up, "Atheme wants to
meet me in the real world."
Cathy chuckled at that and Miki could easily envision
the redheaded firebrand sitting in her own room,
looking amused as she worked on her own computer. "So
why not do it?" she asked, "Or haven't you told her
about your real life gender, yet?"
"No, I haven't," Miki admitted.
Cathy laughed merrily, "Well, that would be one way
for her to find out!" A bit more seriously she
continued on, "If you hadn't met her on-line the way
that you did, you wouldn't be having this problem
right now."
"Gee thanks," Miki flushed, remembering what had
happened months ago....
Bone tired from work Miki sat down at her computer
terminal, debating just reading a book, then logged in
to the Gameworlds system. A series of servers that ran
multiplayer role-playing games, Gamesworlds was one of
her favorite off work activities. She signed in to the
system and hit the bulletin board system, seeing if
any friends had posted when she saw a unusual post.
"Looks like someone's in trouble," Miki murmured as
she read the appeal for help. A player character who
was badly outnumbered had put out a general appeal for
help, a gutsy move considering it could also bring
more evil-aligned characters down on her. She didn't
recognize the name Atheme but clicking on her stats
showed she wasn't just some noobie in over her head.
Her first instinct wasn't to get involved, but Miki
was playing a heroic character in the game. 'And I
never could let a damsel be in distress,' she admitted
as she pulled on her gloves and visor then logged into
the game scenario herself. There was a sensation of
vertigo as the world around her faded away, then she
swiftly found herself standing somewhere else.
The old stone tower stood on the misty plains, once
part of a larger structure, now standing alone among
the ruins. Abandoned by it's previous warriors Shadow
had stumbled across it on one of his adventures and
cleaned out the monster's den there. Laying claim to
the place Shadow had set up a home there, fighting off
one or two attempts by others to claim the place for
their own.
The black haired warrior swiftly took off the simple
shirt he wore and donned his chainmail, a enchanted
set that Shadow had won exploring the dwarven realms.
His tabard, the cloth covering bearing his family
insignia, went on over that then he picked up his
sword, slinging it over his back. Grabbing his pack
loaded with the usual supplies and heavy cloak he went
up the rough stairs to the second floor storehouse.
Here, protected by traps and mystic wards were all of
the treasures Shadow had won in his quests, the
artifacts, gold and precious gems he had accumulated.
Fine tapestries, suits of armor, weapons, goblets and
many other things were scattered about, but he was
looking for only one thing now. Walking over to the
great iron chest he opened it with a rusted key,
searching about inside until he drew out the softly
glowing crystal.
Warp stones weren't rare, exactly, but they were
expensive or difficult to quest for. Shadow gad
acquired this one a few weeks ago, battling a great
wyrm, but in his mind such things were meant to be
used. He raised it above his head as he visualized the
worlds, seeking Atheme's location, then when he found
it the world faded out around him.
The misty mountains were cold, his breath showing as
Shadow heard the sounds of combat off in the distance.
Moving quickly the young swordsman raced across the
rough turf, drawing his sword as silently as he could,
eyes narrowed to try and see through the thick fog.
Once he saw figures ahead he slowed, moving forward a
bit more cautiously to see what he was facing.
"Damn," Shadow cursed softly.
The five human fighters weren't going to be that much
trouble, despite their attacking the lone figure, it
was their companion who was going to be a problem.
Towering above everyone else at over fifteen feet tall
the giant watched with grim satisfaction. A burn scar
ran down the side of his face and partially shut one
eye, disappearing beneath battered armor, but other
than that he radiated a dangerous sense of power.
"You thought you could hurt Gruu," the giant rumbled,
the massive club he carried ready to be used, "and get
away with it, witch, but you'll pay."
"Put it on my tab," the blonde shot back, the woman
blocking a sword strike with her staff. Shadow saw the
strain on her face, the tiredness, but she refused to
give up or give in.
'I think I'm impressed,' Shadow thought, taking a
deep, steadying breath. With a smooth motion he tossed
himself out from his cover and raced towards the
fighters as he boldly called, "I'll give you one
chance to surrender!"
The fighters were badly startled, distracted enough
that the woman could slam the end of her staff into
one of their faces. Then Shadow was there, shattering
his enemy's sword even as the stroke continued,
cutting the tall man down. He raised his sword
warningly to the other fighters as the blonde
retreated behind him slightly.
"I had almost given up hope of rescue," she murmured
into Shadow's ear as she warily eyed the giant, "thank
you. My name is Atheme."
"Shadow," he replied crisply, his thoughts racing.
"You hurt that giant badly once," Shadow asked, "can
you kill it if I buy you time to cast a spell?"
"Yes," Atheme answered him firmly, "I only spared him
the first time out of misplaced pity."
"You won't do that again," Shadow said wryly as he
blocked another clumsy sword strike. He realized that
three of the fighters were computer constructs, only
one was a player character. "All right," he redoubled
his attack, "let's do it!"
As Shadow drove the four fighters backward Atheme
began to chant, the feeling of magic rising up across
the battlefield. It was like static electricity, skin
tingling and senses fully aware, something the giant
clearly didn't like. Gruu lumbered forward, raising
his club, eyes narrowing with irritation and just a
little bit of fear.
'I'd better try and slow him down,' Shadow thought. He
switched his sword over to his left hand, striking out
awkwardly at another fighter even as he pulled one of
the slim blades that he usually concealed in the
lining of his cloak. As the giant neared he threw,
watching the blade cut through the air to lance right
into the giant's good eye.
"Ouwwrrr," Gruu howled, massive hand reaching up to
cover up the spurting wound. He staggered about
wildly, roaring out his pain like some kind of animal,
then looked around for who had done it, "Little worm!
You die now!"
"Monster!" Shadow roared back at him, "Face me! I am
your opponent!" Gruu charged towards him, his
expression murderous as the surviving fighters quickly
decided that this was not the healthiest place to be.
'I hope you have that spell ready Atheme,' Shadow
thought, 'or this is going to be a very short little
fight.'
He needn't have worried. With a cry of "Fireball
Charge!" the flaming bold soared past Shadow to strike
the giant dead center in the chest. Before he could
move he was aflame, the intense fire consuming the
massive figure in only a few moments. Atheme ran over
to his side, the blonde looking at him worriedly, "Are
you all right?"
"No problem," Shadow sheathed his sword smoothly as he
took a better look at her. Atheme wasn't as perfectly
beautiful as many player characters were, instead she
had created a more realistic look, with flaws an
imperfections. Oddly that made her more appealing, not
less so.
"That was insanely brave," Atheme said softly,
smiling. She looked at him thoughtfully, "Do you
always do things like this?"
"Only when needed," Shadow answered, finding himself
smiling back at her.
'I only planned to travel with her to the next town,'
Miki remembered, 'but one thing led to another and we
decided to become partners.'
"You have to admit, you made an impression on her,"
Cathy laughed.
"You're right," Miki finally conceded, "and maybe I
should have told her about me long ago." A short pause
before she softly added, "Atheme offered to cyber-sex
with me, once."
"You didn't take her up on that," Cathy said
confidently.
Miki raised her eyebrows despite the truth of what
Cathy had just said. "And how did you know that?" she
demanded.
"I know you too well," was Cathy's smug answer. Softly
she added, "You know, sometimes I think you and Shadow
have too much in common."
"We do not," Miki protested.
Cathy just chuckled in reply.
There was a soft beeping sound from her computer and
Miki saw that a pop up window had appeared on the
screen reading, 'You have mail.' She walked back over
to the computer and sat down in her old chair, keeping
the phone to her ear as she clicked on the icon and
asked Cathy, "Did you email me something?"
"Sorry, no," Cathy still sounded amused by the whole
situation as she asked Miki, "do you want to place a
bet on who it's from?"
"No bets," Miki smiled to herself wryly, seeing
Atheme's email address. "You mind if I...?" she
trailed off uncertainly.
"Get back to your cyber-girlfriend," Cathy answered,
"and maybe you should think about being honest with
her?"
Before Miki could answer that remark Cathy had hug up
the phone, only leaving a dial tone in her wake. A bit
nervously Miki clicked on the mail icon, the new
message file opening up on her screen in barely a
second.
I'm sorry.
I guess I just got a bit carried away, Shadow. Once
you told me where you lived and I realized that the
two of us were in the same city I've wanted to meet
you, but I shouldn't have pressed you. I understand
that not everyone is comfortable meeting in the real
world.
Atheme
"Damn," Miki sighed, and hit the reply button, typing
quickly.
If it's anyone's fault it's mine.
I guess I'm just skittish... I like you, and I think
you like me, but there are things you don't know about
me. I don't want to disappoint you, if we do meet in
real life.
Shadow
After she clicked send it took only a few moments
before Atheme returned her message, the girl had
obviously been waiting for it eagerly.
Thanks.
Oh, I think I've gotten to know you pretty well,
partner, and I'm a big girl, I can handle surprises.
So, I'll put the ball in your court. Have you heard of
the internet cafe, Mahora? I go there Saturdays for
coffee and surfing, usually after 2 p.m. Look forward
to seeing you there.
Miki sat back in her old chair, rereading the message
again and thinking how odd things could be. She was a
Mahora regular, too, usually coming in once or twice a
week after work for their fine coffee and to spend
time with other geeks like her. 'I might have even
been in there with Atheme before,' she mused, 'and not
even know it.'
"So," Miki muttered, "what do I do now?"
Going to work the next day was a welcome distraction,
physical activity and conversation with the customers
helping keep Miki busy. The DVD shop was located not
far from Mahora itself, and as the customers came in
Miki looked for familiar faces that might be heading
over to the little cyber cafe, who might really be
Atheme. Finally she finished her shift and headed
outside into the chill of winter, her steps leading
her right over to the cyber cafe.
The bell above the door rang out as Miki entered, and
she could feel many eyes resting on her for a moment.
'I wonder if Atheme is here yet?' she mused as she
headed for the front counter. She paid for her usual
one hour session then went to her favorite terminal,
logging in even as she pulled her visor and interface
gloves on. A quick search of scenarios showed her
where Atheme was, then she signed in to that
environment.
The summer sun beat down over the ruins, an oppressive
heat that weakened both the body and spirit, the
desert plane stretching out all around the two
battling figures. Atheme blocked the swordsman's
attack with her wooden staff, her blonde hair a bit
messy and her cloak tossed back to reveal her pale,
strained face.
"Sorry I'm late," Shadow rushed forward to join the
battle, forcing the warrior back who was attacking
Atheme. A quick check of the personal profile
confirmed that it was a player-character he was
facing, but thankfully still a low ranking one.
"Don't interfere," he scowled, swinging to clumsily
attack Shadow with his longsword, "or you will face
the same fate she does."
With practiced ease Shadow deflected the heavy blade,
stepping in close to the surprised player. "Atheme is
my partner," he growled out, "don't ever threaten her
again." With that Shadow struck, hammering at his
foe's defenses before ultimately 'slaying' the player
and in the process resetting his experience points
back to zero.
"My hero," Atheme surprised Shadow by throwing her
arms around him from behind, laughing happily.
"I would have been here sooner," Shadow said to her
sheepishly, a blush coloring his cheeks, "but my
replacement was late."
"If he hadn't had a protective charm against offensive
magic, I wouldn't have been in trouble," Atheme softly
admitted.
"You would have thought of something," Shadow said
confidently.
"Thanks," Atheme tossed him a smile. She looked more
serious as she tentatively asked him, "So, are you at
Mahora?"
Shadow swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous as he
admitted, "Yes, I am."
"Then let's log off temporarily," Atheme had already
begun to dissolve into pixels as she finished, "I want
to meet you."
The cyber cafe was comfortably warm as Miki took off
her cyber-rig, looking around her nervously. There
were several people who wearing similar rigs in the
many rows of terminals, making it harder to guess who
Atheme might really be.
Before she could get really frightened an instant
message popped up on her terminal, "Where are you
sitting? I'd like to go over to where you are, if you
don't mind." Beneath it was just signed, "Atheme."
Nervously Miki typed in her location, her heart
pounding in her chest as various nightmare scenarios
ran through her mind.
In a moment Miki felt the presence come to a stop
right behind her, then a gentle hand was put on her
shoulder. Turning around Miki looked up at the slim
redhead, the young woman's eyes filled with a gentle
warmth. "Hello, Shadow," she clearly noticed Miki's
femininity but it didn't seem to bother her much, "my
name is Shelly."
With a sudden surge of relief Miki answered with a
smile, "My name is Michelle, but my friends call me
Miki."
"It's nice to meet you, Miki," Shelly laughed. She
reached out to take Miki's hand as she continued,
"See, that wasn't so hard."
Miki laughed, "Guess not."
End.
Author's Notes: Yes, the title is taken from a novel
by Lois McMaster Bujold, part of her Miles Vorkosigan
series. This started out as an idea that I had for a
manga story but I decided to go with something else.
The world they're playing in is based on my old D&D
games, some RPGs for the Playstation and various
fantasy novels I've read over the years. Below are the
descriptions I started out with thinking about this
story....
Shadow (m): player character of Michelle a.k.a. Miki.
Visually, think Clamp style male, a bit delicate but
still strong. Wears leather armor, carries sword
across the back. A bit moody, but basically nice
on-line, also in real life. Her real-world self is
very average, quiet and shy. Brown hair, scholarly
type, wears glasses, has few real friends.
Atheme (f): player character of Shelly. Good-looking
but not overly so, wears robes usually in dark colors.
Carries a staff, throws energy, fire, etc. Very
outgoing, pleasant in real life, but unsatisfied with
her life. Is looking for something, and is surprised
to find it on-line with Shadow. She is the one who
suggests a meeting.
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