Lily229

"I said shut up you pathetic wrench!" The dark shadows dove into the ground below him, crashed back up and slurped back down like a hungry sea serpent.

Lily tossed the Staff onto Sakura's body and crossed her arms in front of her face as the shadows hit them directly. A bright green bubble appeared around Sakura as Lily's limp body flew backwards into the cold hard earth wall.

Daisuke ducked down then jumped up as One kept up his strong offense. "You can't keep running from me forever!" cried One, stomping his foot down causing a geyser to pop up below Daisuke's foot. Daisuke jumped out of the way just as it brushed against the souls of his shoes, burning the soles of his shoes slightly.

Daisuke flipped backwards and barely brushed the floor when another geyser came from above which had Daisuke back flipping against the wall. Daisuke stood up straight and brushed off his right arm. He smirked at the panting One. “A little tired now are we? Come on, I thought you were powerful.”

One gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tight. Tiny drops of blood dripped from his white palms. “Shut up! I’ll kill you and bring your head back to my master, then he’ll praise me and give me more power.”

Daisuke paid no mind to the tiny red droppings, dripping slowly onto the cave floor. One returned the smirk and took in a deep gulp of air to return his lost breath. “Once I kill you, I’ll kill the sleeping pink head and then torture Lily, just as my master had intended for me to do.”

“Torture?” The smirk disappeared from his face and was replaced by a disgusted scowl. “You really think I’d let you lay a disgusting hand on Lily when I’m still breathing? You stupid tool, you’re nothing but a pawn.”

“Doesn’t matter. After this job, my master is sure to promote me, maybe to a general even.”

Daisuke closed his eyes and took a relaxing breath. He opened his eyes slowly, leaving them part way opened, as if annoyed. “You’re not very strong on your own, no matter the title or the rank you’re in, if you’re not strong enough to wield that power you might as well not have it.”

“Are you referring to when Seal Master jumped in and saved me? I told you not to lug me in with that loser.” Swirls of red matter now swirled around him in a fury of deep scarlet red. “I’m in a completely different league then him!”

Daisuke threw his hands up in front of his face to shield his head as fast red matter shot toward him. It hit Daisuke hard against the chest and had him shooting backwards. Daisuke’s back slammed into the cave wall behind him, but One didn’t let up on his attack. One pulled out a knife from his back pocket and cocked a smile at Daisuke. “Not strong enough on my own you say? Heh, how do you like the taste of a blood bath hmm Mod?” One placed the edge of the blade onto the bleeding flesh of his palms. “Now you die!” He screamed slicing across his palm. Waves of brilliant red blood shot from the cut and thickened into the sickening liquid that swam toward Daisuke.

Daisuke held his breath the best he could with wave after wave of blood red matter pushed hard against his chest and throat. I can’t breathe! cried Daisuke’s in his mind. It’s like being in a whirlpool, I can’t even move. I need to get out of here!

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and rubbed her head. “Oh, owie.” She sat up unto her knees holding her head. She heard a soft clatter next to her and looked over to see a Mod Staff laying limp next to her. “Huh?” whispered Sakura blinking at it.

“Good morning,” whispered a sickening crackle from behind her.

Sakura spun around and stared up at the mysterious man. She fell backwards onto her butt and pointed at him. “You’re the guy who attacked me!” she cried.

“Yes, I’m surprised you’re still alive. What an idiot.”

“Who the hell do you think you are calling me an idiot?!”

“Not you, my pretty little pink haired victim.” The man nodded in the direction behind Sakura. “You’re little friend behind you.”

Sakura turned her head slowly. The breath escaped from her lips as if someone had punched her in the stomach. There, laying before her, bloody and sprawled on the cave floor was a shattered Lily. Sakura threw her hands up to her mouth and screamed loud into them as tears fell fast from her eyes.

“She threw the Staff onto you just as my blast hit her. I don’t know how an S. Mod staff kept you alive, but no matter. This is a lot more fun either way.”

“Lil….Lily..” whispered Sakura, reaching her hand slowly towards Lily. Sakura brushed her fingers lightly against Lily’s cheek, relieved to still feel the warmth of her body still there.

“She’s not dead, which is where the fun comes in. Because now, not only do you get to watch her suffer but she’s just barely enough alive to watch you die before she perishes as well.” If this doesn’t bring out Black Rose’s true nature, then nothing will. A cruel smile crept across his lips like a worm through fresh dirt.

Sakura clenched her eyes shut, her body jerking from her sobs. “She protected me.” She began to hiccup softly. “She risked her life to save mine.” Sakura put her hands over her beating heart. “Lily….why would you do something like that for me?”

A memory floated gently into Sakura’s mind. Sakura loosened her grip on her eyes to relax and watch the picture perfectly. No one deserves to be alone, Sakura. Lily had smiled as she had slid over her piece of chocolate cake towards a shyer Sakura. Lets be friends ok Sakura?!

“Lily…..” Sakura felt a slight jolt in her back between her two shoulder blades. Sakura felt soft warmth spread over her from her back, as if healing all her wounds and brushing away her tears. “You pushed the loneliness from me with your smile.”

The man stepped back as Sakura began to glow a soft pink. The cherry blossoms in her hair swayed softly from an unknown breeze. “You came for me, risking everything to save me,” her voice was soft; her tears floated up and landed gently over the blossom pedals in her hair. “Thank you, Lily.”

In a soft explosion of soft pink and white, the cherry blossom pedals floated off out of her hair and across the cave. They seemed to lightly kiss at Lily’s wounds before landing and absorbing into her body. Lily glowed a soft pink, as her heals began to disperse.

The man stepped forward and clenched his eyes. “Where the hell did that girl get Hacker Powers?! I didn’t see an item on her!”

Sakura opened her eyes and held out her hands as shining cherry blossom pedals floated around her, some going over to Lily and some staying to kiss away the tears on her face. “What’s going on?” she whispered softly.

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Lily229

When the pink subsided and the cave returned to darkness, Lily opened her eyes. Sakura smiled and leaned over her, tears of happiness threatening to fall. “Lily!” She cried, embracing Lily tight.

Lily blinked, surprised at the sudden embrace. “Wha…Sakura?! You’re alright? I’m alright?!”

Sakura sat back on her heels and nodded excited. “I’m not really all that sure myself. I just wished you’d be ok, and then there was light and it was just so cool! Silly you for sleeping during it all.”

The man growled loudly, causing Lily and Sakura to turn and look at him. “Sorry for interrupting your girl talk, ladies.” The man pulled out a piece of grass from behind him and chewed, annoyed, on the end. “But I think I hear the door to death knocking for annoying little girls.”

Sakura jumped up and made her stance. “I won’t let you hurt…whoa…dizzy.” Sakura swayed slightly before regaining her balance.

Lily stood up more slowly behind Sakura, her gaze like stone on the man. “Whatever you did used up a lot of power, Sakura. Just leave everything to me, you just watch out for pieces of flying grass.”

“Grass?!” Sakura put her hands on her hips. “What’s grass going to do to me other then give me stains on my pants?”

The man smirked and flicked the grass at them. Lily gripped onto the back of Sakura’s shirt and jumped back as the grass exploded where they had been standing. “That!” Lily pointed to the smoking ground where they had once been. The color from Sakura’s face drained.

Damnit, thought Lily. I can’t even go into my Black Rose form with Sakura here.

The man pulled out a dark orange piece and chuckled. “It’s one of my weaker ones, but with Sakura and you both out of commission, I don’t see any need to use up anymore of my good ones.”

Sakura looked over at Lily as they landed. “Do you know this guy Lily? He talks to you like you two know each other.”

“We’ve met you might say,” Lily chewed on her lower lip, trying to think of a plan.

One held out his bloody hand as more blood spilled from his body. “This attack is basically suicide, but you’ll drown long before I run out of blood.” One chuckled to himself. “I wanted to melt you into a million pieces but as long as you’re dead the delivery doesn’t ma…..”

One’s eyes shot open as he felt something rip through his chest. The attack ceased and Daisuke slid down the wall, gasping for air. Daisuke looked up, red blood dripped from the tips of his hair. The color drained from his face at what he saw.

One stood there in the position of attack, his bloody hand extended out, but there was a huge difference. Outside of his body, still beating and bleeding heavily, was his heart, ripped from his chest and being held by what looked like a long human-like claw. The claw backtracked, pulling the heart back through the body and out of the back. Daisuke gasped as Seal Master kicked One’s body, causing it to tumble forward, lifeless on the ground.

Seal Master’s face was different, mutated and deranged. His fingers were now long and boney like a giant claw, sharp teeth and piercing red eyes looked happily at the bloody Daisuke. Daisuke pressed his back against the wall and stared in disbelief. “I saw One kill you.”

Seal Master’s head turned around on its neck, excited to see Daisuke still alive. Daisuke gripped onto his stomach to keep it down as he saw the backless skull of Seal Master. “You’re not human anymore,” Daisuke whispered harshly. “I’ve heard of it before, but only in stories, made up stories in fact.” Daisuke slowly pulled himself up, trying not to make any sudden movements. “Virus’s gives off toxic, fatal fumes that can darken the heart of a human. For most, it’ll cause a painful death, much like TB in the human world, only your body decays from the inside out. But for some, they use it to turn their hearts black and basically offer their souls to Virus’s in exchange for more power.” Daisuke looked around the cave. “How long were you down here before your so called master found you Seal Master?”

Seal Master through his head back and spoke in low gurgle. Daisuke closed his eyes softly. “You poor creature. You’re not a human and you’re not a Virus, you must be in so much pain. Your soul rotting like a corpse on a hot day.” He opened them slowly and watched foam dripped slowly from Seal Master’s fangs. “That body won’t last very long, it’s not strong enough to obtain the power that’s inside you.”

Seal Master spun his head around once more before charging directly at Daisuke. Daisuke made no effort to dodge. As Seal Master struck, Daisuke stepped gingerly to the side. The green square on his left hand shun brightly in the darkness of the cave. With his left hand, Daisuke gripped onto Seal Master’s face and slammed him down onto the cave floor. Seal Master gave a loud, pain filled gurgle as his face began to melt below Daisuke’s grip.

“I’m sorry,” Daisuke said, trying to fight back the tears developing behind his eyes. Seal Master struggled below Daisuke’s grip, but he kept it strong. “It’ll be all over soon, I promise.”

Lily grabbed Sakura’s hand as another orange blast hit the wall. “Come on!” she cried, pulling Sakura away from the explosion. They jumped and Lily shielded Sakura from the flying debris with her own body.

“Lily are you ok?!” cried Sakura.

Lily nodded. “I’ll be even better once that bastard stops throwing shit at us!” A soft green light caught Lily’s eye. She looked over to see Daisuke’s Staff pulsating a radiant green light. It beckoned her to use it.

“Sakura, I’m sorry to ask you for this, but I need a distraction.” Lily eyed Sakura out of the corner of her eye.

Sakura nodded. Her determination surprised Lily. “Anything you name it.”

“We split up on three,” whispered Lily watching the man lick the tip of the grass gingerly. “One. Two. Three!”

A the grass flew toward them, Lily jumped to the right towards the staff as Sakura dove left. Sakura stood up and waved her hands wildly in the air. “Hey you big dumb idiot! Lets see you come and get some of me.” Sakura took her stance once again and smiled evilly.

The man looked at her annoyed. “You really think I’m going to fall for the distraction trick you two are trying to pull?”

Lily dove and gripped onto the Mod Staff. When Sakura saw this she flashed him a cute smile and nodded. “Yep. Hook, line and sinker.”

Lily jumped up as the man looked over at her. “You’re not the only one with issues you know!” she cried, gripping onto the mod staff. She felt a soft shocks of green electricity between her bracelet and Daisuke’s staff.

The man pulled out a piece of deep blue grass. “I can assure you, that this is one of my most powerful Hacker Items, not even an Admin Staff can block this one.”
“I don’t need protecting,” Lily whispered harshly. She held up the Staff high above her head with her left hand. Green and black sparks flew around her. “I just need to have to the strength to protect others!” Something’s calling for me....A sweet voice.

The man tossed the piece of grass as if throwing a baseball. Lily swooped the Mod Staff down, her wrist growing hot from the energy. Long, blades of green air and electricity shot out from the tip and shot through the air like a fish in water. Sakura and Lily stepped back and shielded their eyes as the deep blue grass and Lily’s attack collided.

A triumphant smile was interrupted on the man’s face. “It…It’s not possible!” he cried as he watched his grass disperse and the blades come towards him. He felt the blades hit, pain shot through his body. He looked over as he watched his right arm be cut off by one of the blades. She created a combustion with a Mod Staff and a Hacker Item. He smiled softly as he fell backwards.

Sakura blinked at Lily, Lily turned to her just as surprised. “I didn’t think that would happen,” Lily confessed.

“Look!” cried Sakura, pointing to the man.

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Lily229

“We’re not done yet, girlie.” The man whispered happily as his body began to sink into the shadows. "You're one lucky idiot," he crackled before disappearing completely.

"Damn..."

"Lily!" cried Sakura embracing Lily from behind. "How'd you do that....What was that?!"

"Not really all that sure." Lily looked down at the Mod Staff and her bracelet. If the bracelet had a face, Lily was sure it'd be smiling. "Something just told me to do it, this urge in my body."

Lily and Sakura swayed back and forth as the cave began to rumble. "It's collasping!" Lily cried. "We have to get out of here."

Sakura was about to say something when a giant white rabbit burst through one of the sealed openings. "Roots!" exclaimed Sakura running over and throwing her arms, the best she could, around the giant rabbit. Roots cooed and cuddled against her.

Lily put her hand over her heart and let out a small sigh of relief. "Glad that the whole gangs here.....Oh my God! Daisuke!" Sakura climbed up onto Roots back and extended her hand to Lily.

"Just lead the way," Sakura smiled down at Lily who took her hand and threw herself up behind Sakura.

Lily pointed to the opening she had come from. "That way! We need to find Daisuke." Lily wrapped her arms around Sakura's waist as they charged through the closed opening and back into the cavern.

Daisuke fell to his knees and caught his breath. Sweat dripped from his brow and into the small dark puddle that had once been Seal Master. He felt the stinging of tears behind his closed eyes, threatning to rear their heads. He was about to let them when he heard a soft rumble gorw closer and closer to him. He stood and watched as a giant white blob came charging towards him. He bent down to attack when he heard Lily's voice from behind it.

"Daisuke!" she cried extending her hand down.

Slowly, a bit stunned, Daisuke raised his hand. A warm feeling embraced him like a warm blanket on a cld winters night when their hands joined. Lily pulled him up behind her and flashed him a soft, friendly smile over her shoulder.

Daisuke returned it, only slightly more tired. He peered over her shoulder at the pink haired girl waving to him shyly. "Sakura I take it."

Sakura blushed slightly but nodded her head.

Daisuke turned his attention to Lily. "What the hell are we on?"

"This is Roots, Daisuke. He's a Virus."

"What?! A Virus!"

"Relax," said Lily calmly, laying her hand ontop of his. "He's a friendly Virus who offered us a ride. Would you rather walk? You look awfully tired." Lily leaned back against Daisuke's chest and closed her eyes gently.

Daisuke looked a little taken back as his cheeks grew bright pink. "Umm....I guess it's ok."

Lily opened her eyes and smiled up at him. She sat up and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thank you, Daisuke." She pressed the Staff back into his hands and smiled gently.

Sakura patted to top of Root's head. "Whatever am I going to do with those two?"

Roots smiled and gave off a low gurgling sound as he burst through the opening in the ground and back into the orchid patch, trotting back towards the city of NL.

Soon, Lily felt Daisuke lean against her, she hears soft snoring from under his breath. She giggled softly as she helped his body down onto her lap and stroked his hand resting peacfully in her crossed legs. She glanced over at Sakura who was curled into a ball, fast asleep. Lily leaned forward slightly and spoke in a soft voice. "How are you feeling Roots?"

"I've been better." Roots gave a low grumbling noice. "Bastard surprise attacked us and trapped us in this dark place. I'm glad Sakura's safe."
"Yeah me too," Lily whispered, running her hand over his soft fur. "There's a lot of things I don't get, but what baffles me the most is how I'm still alive, in fact, how am I perfectly healed?"

"Isn't it obvious? Sakura has a Pure Mark."

"A what mark?!" exclaimed Lily, rather loudly.

Lily threw her hands over her mouth as Sakura stirred slightly. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I must to have dozed off. Who were you talking too?"
Lily looked around nervously. "Oh, no one. Just mumbling to myself. Heh Heh."

******

As the sun began to set, Lily sat along a low stone wall, watching it disappear behind the water on the edge of the city. The breeze came from behind her and lightly blew her hair forward. She hadn't changed her torn clothes from earlier that day, but she didn't care. She was grateful to have a peacful moment to herself.

I open one door and three more open. I've almost positive he's Tom's older brother, but it doesn't make sense. I thought he died and what is his obsession with Rose and the secret behind this bracelet? The secret of the Crimson Village, the Hacker Items and the strange behavior of those touched by Virus's, it all seems so weird. My best course of action now is to go speak with Tom more about his older brother. "Why can't I have one relaxing day?!" Lily ran her fingers through her hair and gripped the roots hard in frustration.

"Ummm..." said a soft, shy voice behind her.

Lily turned around slightly to see Sakura standing behind her. She hadn't changed either, streaks of dirt brushed against her cheeks as if they were put their by a fine tooth paint brush. Her hands were behind her back, and looked like she was in an akward position. Lily smiled and patted next to her. Sakura nodded and hastened over to sit next to Lily.

"What's on your mind Sakura?" Said Lily gazing out over the water. The suns blood painted the water a canvas of reds, blues and purple, all mixing together perfectly blended. Lily wanted to ask Sakura how she was feeling and what a ‘pure mark’ was but she saw Sakura was obviously troubled by something and decided not to upset her further.

Sakura wasn't starring at the sunset or the beautiful water, she kept her head down, starring hard the cupped hands in her lap. "Please, don't call me that, Lily." A single tear dropped onto her hand.

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Lily229

Lily looked over. "What do you mean?"

"My real names not Sakura." Sakura began to ring out the outline of her shirt. "I never planned on telling anyone, I hate my birth name."

"A lot of people hate their names, Sakura."

"No, I dispese it more then anything." Sakura's body twitched slightly, fighting off the oncoming sobs.

Lily put her hands ontop of Sakura's. "Tell me why."

"My real name is Mimi. Back when I use to live in the Real World, everyone hated Mimi, everyone picked on Mimi, no one even bothered to show Mimi kindness. So when we moved here, I wanted to start a new life. That name kept me back to my past, so when we registered, there were Sakura Trees everywhere, and I wanted to be named after something so beautiful, in hopes that maybe...."

Sakura stopped and gave a small gasp as she felt Lily put her arm around her shoulder and pull Sakura in close for a hug. "So, who was the girl I met sitting by herself at the table?"

"I'm not really all that sure...it was Mimi I suppose. Sakura's brave, kind, and everyone likes her."

"That's silly," Lily giggled and smiled. "You don't have two personalities, Sakura. You're Mimi."

"No!" Sakura cried, pushing herself away. "Mimi was weak and would never have been able to save you."

"You're not that much different from when we first met, you know that right?"

"Huh?"

Lily took Sakura's hands gently. "When I first met you, I saw a strong person deep down. You're not defined by your name Sakura, you're defined by who you are and who you want to become. If you want to bring that strength to the surface, then do so. But hiding who you are isn't right."

"I'm afraid. People will hate me if they found out I lied about my name."

"I'm glad."

"What?"

"I'm glad that you risked it all to tell me, that you trust me enough with your secret, Mimi. It was very brave."

"There's nothing brave about lying."

That statement hit hard at Lily as she felt the bracelet dangle gently against her wrist. "You're right."

"You won't tell right?"

Lily shook her head and smiled. "I promise, your secret is safe with me, Mimi."

"Don't call me that, please." Sakura looked around anxious.

"Can we make a deal then?" Sakura nodded. "When we're in private, can I call you Mimi?"

Sakura fiddled with her hands before nodding softly. Her head shot up as Lily extended her right pinky finger close to her face.

"I never break a pinky promise, Mimi."

Slowly, Sakura raised her left pinky and wrapped it around Lilys. "Thank you, Lily." The tears fell softly on the stone wall as Sakura threw her arms around Lily's waist and sobbed silently.

I'm glad that I'm staying, so that I can keep protecting Sakura, Lily thought, stroking the back of Sakura's head. I want to stay here and see how strong she can be.


well there you go, hope you all enjoyed it ^^

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Lily229

hey guys, like I said in the discussion thread this is just a story pusher, so no real death like action or people melting. Hope you enjoy it ^^.

Chapter 15

Daisuke felt a soft tingling in him nose that shook his gently from his sleeping state. He sneezed loudly as strands of long white hair entered his nostrils. He opened his eyes halfway to see a small white blob within his viewing range. He threw back the sheets and jumped off the edge of the bed. "Lily!" he cried. "Lily get in here!"

Lily popped her head into Daisuke's room with a big grin on her face. "Sakura got into trouble with her folks last night and asked me to keep Roots for a few days."

Daisuke ran a shaking hand through his muffled hair. "I'm fine with that, but why does he have to sleep in my bed?!" Roots stretched and gave a big yawn before curling back into sleep.

"Well, I'm allergic to long haired animals, and he's grown accustomed to sleeping with someone. I didn't think you'd mind. I can suffer for you Dai." Lily rested the back of her hand upon her forehead and made a dramatic lean against the doorway.

"Shino's going to kill me if he finds out there's a Virus living in here, hell the city."

Lily ran across the room and jumped into his arms, tackling him to the ground. "So he can stay?! Oh, thank you Dai!" She hugged him tight.

Daisuke slid from beneath her and patted her arm. "Yes well, speaking of Shino." He climbed back into bed and rolled over, his back facing Lily. "Tell him I'm taking a sick day."

"Are you ok?" Lily asked reaching for him.

Daisuke twitched his shoulder from her grasp. "Yeah, I'm just really tired is all."
Lily nodded and walked over to Roots and scooped him up into her arms like a baby. "I'll leave you alone to sleep then."

Daisuke grew restless and had to sit up. "Wait," he said holding up his hand to stop her.

Lily stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Hmm?”

Daisuke made a futile attempt at rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I was thinking that you would like to go out to dinner tonight….with me.”

“With you? As in, like, a date?”

A blush crept along Daisuke’s cheekbones. “No, not a date exactly, more like a umm….dinner with friends.”

Lily smiled. “That’s sounds nice.”

“Yeah, so umm….I’ll pick you up here at seven then?”
“Where will you be getting ready? I mean, isn’t this your house as well.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Daisuke turned over onto his side to hide how red his face had gotten. “Just be here and be ready by seven ok?”

Lily nodded and walked out. “See you at seven then.” When she closed the door, Daisuke rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He held up his left hand and stared at the dark green square.

I killed a man last night. "No," Daisuke said determined. "I saved a man last night." He stared at the door through the corners of his eyes. "Who are you, Lily Reaper?"

Lily began to pet Roots on the head. “Now that we’re alone, Roots. I wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Daisuke doesn’t know you’re a Hacker does he?” asked Roots, sleepily.

“I’m not a Hacker, I just can’t get rid of a Hacker Item.”

Roots sighed and jumped down from her arms. “Then it’s not safe that we talk here, unless you want to be found out.”

“By Daisuke?”

Roots shook his head. “There’s an Admin living right above you, the power is actually sickening.”

Lily crouched down and looked up at the ceiling. “Is that why you’re so tired?”

“This place is crawling with nothing but Mods and Admins, any Virus would be a bit queasy in this kind of place. I’m actually surprised that you’re not all that effected, not even the slightest. I mean, I know how two humans can be when they get together.”

“Are you hinting at something between me and Daisuke?” Asked Lily, tugging at his long, floppy ear.

“Possibly, you humans confuse me when it comes to multiplying.”

Lily’s face turned the color of a tomato. “What?! You think me and Daisuke are….are having sex?!”

“What’s sex?”

Lily stood up quickly and stomped out of the apartment, Roots hopping close at her heels. “I can’t believe you would even…Daisuke doesn’t like me that! That’s to big of a step for me to be taking right now, I mean, isn't that a bit far?!"

Roots hopped quickly in front of her before she could push the button. “Calm down, I didn’t mean to upset you like that. Man, are all female humans like this?”

“Most.”

“Anyways, I suggest you start treating me like a normal bunny. Don’t you think it’s going to be a bit weird if you’re talking to a rabbit as if I’m talking back?”

“I guess,” replied Lily as Roots jumped onto her shoulder. “Well, I still need to get some questions answered before I take you back to Sakura.” Lily pushed the ‘down’ button the elevator. “So lets head back out to the outskirts of NL and see what we can figure out. Sound good to you?”

The elevator door opened as Roots nodded. Lily stepped in and nearly ran into someone. “My bad, sorry,” she said looking up into the face of Shino. “Daisuke’s out sick just so you know,” she replied cheerfully.

Shino eyed Roots on her shoulder but kept his lips closed firm.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Shino,” said Lily, playfully elbowing him in the side. Roots crawled across her shoulders to her other shoulder. Lily looked over to him swaying slightly.

Shino kept his eyes straight on the sliding doors of the elevator. When they reached the lobby, Lily dashed out leaving Shino in the dust. When outside, Roots let out a large breath. “Are you ok?”

“Admin smell is the worst, it’s like garbage choking the very last breath of life in your body. I hate Admin’s the most.”

Lily shrugged and started walking back toward the tollbooth when she heard a deep voice behind her. “Are you lost again?”

Lily turned around to see Shino staring at her. She had a feeling, though, that he was looking at Roots. “No, why do you ask?”

Shino jerked his thumb behind him. “The Forum is that way.”

“Who said I was going to The Forum?”

“Then where are you going?”

Roots whispered in her ear. “Lily, go with him.” Lily kept her eyes straight on Shino. “He’ll get suspicious and we’ll never be able to talk, just go with him.”

“You can understand him, can’t you?”

__________________

Lily229

Shino’s voice still had Lily jumping. “It’s a rabbit, of course I can’t understand him.” She put her hands on her hips and stomped past him. “What kind of stupid question is that, Shino?”

As Lily continued to walk, she felt Roots run across her shoulders. He plopped down into her arms. “Hey, will you calm down?” she hissed.

“I can’t. He’s so close.”

Lily looked over her shoulder to see Shino following them. “He’s got to be about fifteen yards away.”

“God, that still is to close. You got to shake him, Lily.”

Lily ducked into an alley and ran down it until she reached the street at the end. “Is that better?” she asked, looking around. Roots nodded as she walked up the sidewalk of The Forum. She glanced over her shoulder to see an empty street and path. Roots settled in her arms as she reached the door. "The Forum is big, I'm sure there are empty rooms for us to chat in."

Roots remained silent as they entered the building. Other then a few people desperate for conversation, The Forum was pretty much empty. A small light brown haired boy ran up to Lily. "Oh wow! Look at how kawaii that bunny looks!" His bright red eyes shun in enjoyment as he scratched behind Root's ears. "Wow, he's so soft."

“Lily!” called Sakura running up to her. Lily looked over her shoulder and waved.

“Hey Sakura, you’re looking much bette…”

“Roots!” Sakura cooed as she scooped up the rabbit on Lily’s shoulder and cuddled him. “I’ve missed you so much. Don’t worry; you’ll be able to head home soon. Oh Lily,” Sakura looked at Lily as if she was just acknowledging her. “I have a surprise for you. Come on.” Sakura grabbed Lily’s hand and began to lead her away from the girl and around the corner. Sakura pulled Lily into the Spam Zone and down along the wall.

Lily waved at the passing people starring at them. “What’s the big surprise Sakura?”

“Here! Here! Look, Lily.” Sakura cried, jumping up and down and pointing to a door with a hazy window on it. Across the letters in big, black thick letters, was the name “Dr. Lily” written across the window. “I asked Daisuke if I could use an empty storage room and he said it was fine. What do you think?”

“Err….what am I suppose to think exactly?”

Sakura calmed down and stared at her feet. “You helped me out so much yesterday, Lily. Not just your actions, but your words as well. I figured, since you’re so good at helping people then maybe you’d like to start a small business with it. If you don’t want to, I can take it down and…”

Lily threw her arms around Sakura into a hug to shush her. “No, I love the idea. But there’s no way I can do it alone.” Lily put her index finger to her lips and thought for a moment. “It’s decided, I’m going to need an assistant. Sakura, I’m going to put you in charge of that job.”

“Me!?”

Lily smiled and nodded. “You bet. Every good doctor needs an even better assistant, and you’re just the kind of person I’m looking for. Are you good with advertising?”

Sakura returned the excited smile and nodded. “You bet I am. I’ll attract so many customers you won’t even have time to handle them all!”

“Lets not go that far, ok? Our goal here at the Dr. Lily Thread is to help others and try not to turn anyone away.”

Sakura stood straight and saluted Lily. “I’ll do my best. You go into your office and get settled while I go bring in the first round of customers.” Lily saluted her back and Sakura ran off down the Spam Zone.

Lily stared up at the door, her name written in those thick black letters. It was a title, it was a job and it was a perfect start. She opened the door and stepped inside. “Wow,” said Lily looking around the tiny, storage closet. “When she said a spare closet, I didn’t think it would be this small.” She looked around and noted a small wood desk, a big chair in the back and two smaller chairs in front. Lily had to jump over the desk to get to the big, rotating chair in the back.

As she planted herself on the seat a knock was heard at her door. “Come on,” she called, feeling the sudden jolt of excitement by saying that.

Sakura’s pink head popped through the doorway. “I found your first customer.” She opened the door further to show a small red-headed boy about her height and the Japanese symbol for ‘power’ above his left eye.

“Hey, I remember you from the other day!” exclaimed Lily, standing up.

The boy slid his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. “My name’s Gemakai, by the way,” he blushed slightly.

Lily made a futile attempt at sneaking around her desk to shake his hand and in the end, just decided to jump over her desk. She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you Gemakai, I’m Lily. Dr. Lily,” she finished with a wink.
Sakura waved goodbye and closed the door. Only a small, dimmed light bulb lighted the room. Gemakai looked around, nervous. Lily, not letting go of his hand pulled him toward the door. “It’s far to stuffy in here to do any real work. Lets head outside shall we?”

“It’s not going to charge me extra is it?” he joked.

Lily pulled him over to a nearby table and sat him down. A few people turned and watched idly by. “So tell me,” said Lily resting her chin on her joined hands. “What brings you to my office?”

“The pink headed girl, I think Sakura was her name, told me that I looked depressed and needed guidance from you.” He shrugged. “When I saw the door I was a little skeptic, I mean how can you help me with anything when you don’t know me?”

“Hmm….that’s a good thought.” Lily leaned back in her chair and starred up at the ceiling. “Sometimes, the best advice comes from those you don’t know, or I should say don’t know you. That way, you can always get an honest answer.”

Gemakai shrugged. “I suppose so.”

Lily smirked. “She ringed me into this too, so don’t feel to weird about it.” She leaned forward and stared him straight in the eye. “But on a serious note, tell me what’s up? No one’s life is completely perfect. We all need help from someone else once in a while right?”

Gemakai scratched under his chin. “I suppose I could give you a trial run. Ok, here’s one for you. My friend and I are having an argument over this girl let’s call her Rachel. So Rachel likes me but doesn’t like him, but he likes her and I have no feelings for her. So what should we do?”

Lily took a deep breath. “It’s obvious isn’t it? Because he is your friend, your best bet is to stay away from her. If she can’t accept the fact that friendship means more to you then anything else then she obviously doesn’t deserve your love. You also need to tell your friend the low-down on things so nothing can come between you. How was that?”

Gemakai nodded approvingly. “It was good. I think I might actually follow that. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Ummm….Dr. Lily.” Lily turned to see the boy from before. “My name's Coconaught and I have a problem.” He said sitting down.

Lily turned her attention to Coconaught. “Ok, shoot.”

“I really love animals, but both of my parents are allergic to most animals. And I don’t want furless animals so what should I do?”

“Is that all? Well you don’t really have much choices do you? Are you afraid of snakes or other forms of reptiles, or maybe spiders?”

“My mom would never go for anything with scales and I hate spiders.”

“Hmm…this is a tough one. What about fish?”

“I want to cuddle them, a fish would die to easily.”

“Birds? Rodents?”

“Dad says they both carry diseases.”

“Wow, they’ve thought of everything huh?”

Coconaught nodded. Lily eyed Gemakai, he watched her, studied her reactions. It reminded Lily of taking a test back at school. “It’s not fair.” Coconaught slammed his fists on the table.

“Hey, Gemakai. Does NL have petting zoos?” asked Lily, deep in thought.

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Lily229

Gemakai thought for a moment. “I think so, down by the River Bank a few blocks up. Why do you ask?”

Lily turned back to Coconaught. “Even though they won’t be yours, I’m sure you’ll be welcomed to the petting zoo until you are able to move out when you’re older and get your own. You can cuddle and love, and maybe even adopt one and keep it there. I know back in the Real World you could do that.”

“Really?” A bright smile crossed his face. “Wow Lily. Thank you so much, I never even thought about that. I’m going to go check it out right now.” He nodded at Gemakai and Lily and ran off.

A small wave of harsh whispers swam around Lily as she turned back to Gemakai. “Well?”

Gemakai smirked as a crowd of people started to gather. “I think that Dr. Lily is going to have her hands full for a while.”

**
Lily sprinted fast toward Daisuke’s apartment. The clock tower in the middle of NL read 6:43 pm. “Crap, I was busy all day long I’m going to be late for the date.” Lily screeched to a halt, her heels digging into the dirt. She touched her burning face. “It’s not a date,” she reminded herself. “It’s just a friendly gathering.”

She ran through the lobby, into the elevator and finally took a breath as she rode it up. Roots had decided to stay with Sakura once again after she noticed how sick he was getting. Lily just explained she had fed him bad tuna.

When the doors opened, she had her key ready to unlock the door. Once inside, she quickly tore off her clothes and ran, in her underwear, into her room to change.

Daisuke walked into the lobby with a bouquet of wild, orange carnations. He had a slick, black blazer and nice dress pants on. His hair was tidy and combed back with hair gel. He looked around nervously before proceeding to his apartment to meet Lily.

She hoped around with one leg of her pants on, the other frailing around in the wind. She grabbed her brush and ran it hard through her long hair and pulling it up into a messy ponytail. “Oh, the one day I need you to be perfect!” she exclaimed, sticking the brush in her mouth and forcing her leg throw the other leg of the pants.

When the elevator door opened, Daisuke stepped out and looked at his expensive watch. The time was only 6:58, so he decided to stand outside for the remaining two minutes.

Lily grabbed a robin’s egg blue long sleeve shirt and tugged it over her head. “I don’t care if I match anymore!” she cried angrily, jumping into her closet and digging for her sneakers.

Daisuke rocked back and forth on his heels, staring at his watch. “Would it be to nerdy to show up at exactly 7:00? Maybe I should wait until at least 7:01. But what if she’s sitting in there waiting for me and I make her wait a whole minute and she gets angry?” Daisuke shook his head fast to try and shake away the blush. “What the hell am I thinking?” He straightened up and marched toward his door.

Lily panicked as she ripped the hair tie from her head. She shook her head violently and looked in the mirror. “Oh! Where did I put that brush?!” she cried into the mess of fuzz she called hair. She tugged at the knots in her hair, hissing through her teeth in pain as she pulled out a few strands. She heard the click of the front door and threw the brush down. She slid out of the bathroom door and leaned against it, trying to hide her hard breathing and looking as if nothing mattered. “Ready?” she said with a smile.

Daisuke and Lily looked over each other, both with shocked and confused faces. Lily saw a primped up Daisuke. Long, tan and handsome with a bouquet of wild orange flowers in his hands. What Daisuke saw was a girl ready for a night out at some local bar with friends. Jeans, a light blue long sleeve shirt with a low line of her stomach showing, sneakers, and hair as if she had just survived a long windstorm.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” they both said together, pointing at each other.

“You told me it was a just a gathering for friends,” said Lily putting her hands on her hips.

“Yes, but I didn’t think you’d dress so casually!” replied Daisuke, running a disgruntled hand through his slick hair.

“You dress casually when you go out with friends! Dur!” she exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. “If I had known we were going on a date I would have dressed more appropriate.”

Both of them stood frozen, looking at each other. Warm blushes sneaking up along their faces at the word ‘date’. “You’re right,” said Daisuke with a nervous smile. “I was just over-dressing is all.” He held out the flowers. “These are for you, none the less.”

Lily graciously took them. “Thanks, Daisuke.” She sat them down and took his hand. “So where are we going to eat tonight? You owe me a big dinner for since I worked so hard today.”

“Ah yes, the Advice Thread. Sakura called me about it earlier today. Shino didn’t give you a hard time did he? I never okayed it with him.”

Lily shook her head as they boarded the elevator. “Nope, and in fact I was pretty busy, so if he stopped by then I didn’t notice him. Must to have talked to my assistant about it.”

“Assistant eh?” Daisuke smirked at her as they stepped out of the elevator and walked through the lobby.

Lily nodded, excited. “Yep, and maybe soon I’ll start charging so I can pay you back in no time, Daisuke.”

“Looking at my Point Count, I think you’ll be working that job for a long, long time.”

“Oh shush you.” As they stepped out of the building, the cool night air hit them like a gentle kiss. “So where are we going anyway, Dai?”

Daisuke looked around nervously. “Can you understand French?”

“Que?” Lily looked over at him confused.

Daisuke waved his hand and smiled. “Lets just grab a burger.”

Lily smiled and elbowed him, jokingly. “In that suit? You’re going to look pretty weird.”

Well worth it, he thought.

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Lily229

**
Lily and Daisuke walked through the park. Lily grabbed her stomach. “I’m so full, and everyone was starring.” She giggled as they crossed a stone bridge. “I told you I could eat the 12lb burger and not throw up.”

“Yes well, I remember having to hold your hair about fifteen minutes later.” Daisuke smiled, his blazer over his shoulder as he walked. “It was an….interesting night. Not what I was expecting but very interesting.”

Lily stopped and looked over her shoulder, a sly smile across her face. “And what, pray-tell, were you expecting?”

Daisuke rubbed the back of his neck looking away. “I kind of made dinner plans.”

“At some French place?” Lily hopped onto the edge of the stonewall and began walking along it. “I kind of figured when you asked me if I spoke French. Oh well, you’re an S. Mod, easily canceled.”

Yes, but she has no idea how hard it was to get that table, Daisuke cried in his mind. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

Lily jumped down in front of Daisuke, and leaned up to get nose to nose with him. “So, be honest. Was this a date or just a friendly thing?”

“Frie…” he coughed and cleared his throat. “Friendly thing.”

Lily smiled. “Oh ok then, guess then there’s no need for a good night kiss.”

“What!?” Daisuke exclaimed, stepping back. But Lily step forward and kept their faces touching.

“You know, if it was a real date then there would be a good night kiss. You know, something romantic like the guy taking the girl’s hand and pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss of pure desire and love.” Lily sighed deeply, batting her eyelashes in a dreamy way before returning her sly smirk at Daisuke.

Daisuke took a big gulp and looked around nervously. His voice cracked slightly. “To bad this was only a friendly thing huh?”

Lily’s eyes narrowed slightly as her smile grew bigger. “Dai, have you never been kissed before?”

Daisuke could no longer push back the blush crawling through his body. “Of course I have! I’ve kissed hundreds of girls.”

“Oh,” Lily’s smile dropped. “So I’m just one in a few hundred huh?”
“No, no that’s not what I meant at all. You’re twisting my words around!” Daisuke looked around for something to change this uncomfortable subject. When he could find nothing to distract him, he sighed deeply. "It's not like that. It's just that...."

Lily leaned against him and gently pressed her lips against his, stopping his words in mid sentence. He was slightly taken back, a warm wave lightly kissing over his body as he slid his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

They broke away in a fit of giggles. Lily clenched her sides. "Why are we laughing, Dai?"

Daisuke rubbed the back of his neck, still chuckling. "Jitters?"
Lily nodded in agreement and leaned against the railing of the stonewall. "This won't change us right, Dai?"

Daisuke walked up behind her and leaned against the wall next to her. They both stared out onto the starlight water. "Who knows? I know one thing though. Nothing's ever normal when it comes to you."

Lily closed her eyes and smiled happily. "You think?"

Well there you guys go. Like I said, wasn't much action unless you count the end but more characters were introduced. And I just want to say again, I'm working on getting everyone involved so if you don't see your name and you know you should be, relax I got you and those who want to be in it and aren't, just PM me and I'll get you going ^^.

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Lily229

ok here's the next chapter. It's basically just another story pusher as of now, of course there's a spark of action and more characters are introduced ^^. I couldn't find any female names so I just created my own and I'm happy with them so meh. Anyways, hope you enjoy it ^^.

Chapter 16

A tall, lean woman dressed in purple shadow’s stepped forth. In front of her was a giant green, neon tank. A dark figure floating gently within it, blobs of shadow’s circling around him.

“The girl did this to our Master?” The woman asked, her voice cold as ice, as another dark figure entering the room, a man dressed in torn clothing and spiked bleached blonde hair. His emerald eyes shun brightly against the glow of the tank.

“Yes, it would seem she’s having some help both inside and outside.” His voice was like a cool drink of water.
“We can easily take care of the outside nuisances," replied a bubbly sounding girl, popping out from behind the man.

The woman stepped forward and placed her hand gently on the neon tank. “I’ll make her pay for what she has done.”

**
Lily and Sakura walked briskly toward The Forum as Sakura quickly read off the lists of clients she had waiting, on a notepad. “I’ve pushed your twelve o’clock to twelve fifteen and your two thirty to three. How is that working for you?”

Lily stopped walking and looked over at Sakura. “I was actually wondering if you’d like to take over for me today and give me the day off.”

“Eh!? You can’t be serious Lily! Business is just booming!” Sakura waved the notepad wildly around above her head. “There’s no way I can be as good as you!”

“Relax Sakura,” Lily placed a gentle hand on Sakura’s shoulder and looked her straight in the eye with a caring face. “I know you can do fine without me for one day. And if you need me, I’ll be around the area you can always PM me if there’s any trouble. You wanted to be my assistant right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. But where will you go?”

Lily smiled and shrugged. “Anywhere I suppose, I just want to take a day off from all the lime light and just relax for once since I came here.”

Sakura smiled and clenched her fist. “I’ll do my best Lily!” She waved and ran off into The Forum to open shop. Lily waved after her and then slowly dropped her hand.

Last night, Dai and I kissed. Lily lightly touched her lips with her fingertips. We went home in silence, and he left early this morning. I wonder if he’s feeling this light on his feet as I am about it? Or maybe I’m just being silly. Did that kiss mean that we're dating? “Either way…”

Lily stepped out of her thoughts long enough to see Shino out of the corner of her eye. He was surrounded by Tenten, Mini, Ph3 and another girl Lily had never seen before, they were all giggling happily as he walked stuck out like a sore thumb. Mini spotted Lily out of the corner of her eye and waved excitedly. “Long time no see, Lily.”

Lily felt a sudden uneasy feeling sinking in her gut, but she plastered on a smile and waved back. “Hey guys.”

The girl’s ran over to Lily to exchange greetings, but Lily couldn’t help but stare at Shino. He stood tall, hands in his ordinary pockets; his long dark curls blowing freely in the wind. But his eyes were cold like stone as they stared at her, a longing feeling that Lily couldn’t shake. She directed her attention to the babbling girls.

“I don’t think you’ve had a chance to meet LightDreamer,” said Mini in her usual snobby tone.

LightDreamer extended her hand as she flashed Mini a darkened glare. “Nice to meet you, Mini won’t seem to shut up about you. But you know Mini…”

Mini pushed her aside and put her hands innocently in front of her mini navy blue skirt. “So tell me, Lily. I heard around town that they saw you and Daisuke out last night and didn’t get home until late. So are you two going out?”

Lily looked a little taken back. She smiled and shook her head trying to play off the night before like it was nothing. “Nah, we’re just friends and we went out like friends do.”

“Friends who go out hmm? Daisuke’s a boy and you’re a girl correct?”

Lily eyed Mini suspiciously. “As far as I know.”

“So a boy and a girl friend went out for a little run on the town yes?”

Ph3 stepped in between them. “She says they’re just friends, Mini.” Ph3 directed her attention to Lily. “Always watch what you say around Mini, she’s a gossip guru and can trick you into saying anything.”

Tenten giggled. “That’s how she got Verm.” LightDreamer threw her head back in a hearty laugh along with Tenten.

Mini put her hands on her hips and spun around on her heels. Her face flushed and her eyes glaring death and daggers. “You two have no right to talk about our love like that. I don’t see any of you two with boyfriends. Just because you’re jealous is no reason to drag me to your level.”

“Wow and that’s sinking pretty low,” LightDreamer joked, though Lily thought of it more as a stab at Mini.

Mini stomped her foot. “I don’t have to take this from any of you!” She stormed inside The Forum.”

Ph3 sighed and shook her head. “You really need to apologize to her, Light. That wasn’t very nice to her.”

LightDreamer sighed still smiling. “I won’t apologize to he….OUCH!”

Ph3 grabbed LightDreamer by her earlobe and began pulling her inside, leaving Lily, Tenten and Shino alone outside.

Lily noticed Tenten grow nervous. Lily leaned over and whispered. “You like him, don’t you?”

Tenten’s eyes grew wide before she tackled Lily to the ground. She pressed her hands hard over Lily’s mouth and shushed her. Lily struggled underneath for air.’

Shino walked over and lightly touched Tenten’s shoulder. “Umm….I think you’re cutting off her oxygen, people kind of need that to live.”

Tenten fell backwards off of Lily and stared at her feet. Lily sat up and glanced up at Shino. “It speaks!”

That’s when Lily saw it. When he looked at her, there was a small spark of warmth breaking through the dark cold in his eyes. Lily stared into them until the spark died and was replaced by darkness once again.

He extended his hand and Lily took it cautiously. Tenten stood and dusted off her backside, inconspicuously glaring at Lily. Lily went to pull her hand away when she felt a soft grasp from Shino, but soon he let hand drop. Lily saw it was there again, that small spark of light.

“Who wants some juice!” Tenten exclaimed, trying desperately to change the subject. She ran forward and grabbed Shino’s hand and pulled him away from Lily.

Lily smirked and put her hands behind her head as she followed behind them. “You two sure do make a cute couple.”

Tenten stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head slowly to look at Lily, her eyes ablaze with anger. “Who asked you anyway?”

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Lily229

Shino looked over his shoulder then down to Tenten and his joined hands then back at Lily. Lily could see a small blush creeping around his neckline; she decided to play it off. “Yeah, I just now realized it. He’s tall, mysterious, and quiet while you’re loud, short and open minded. It’s a perfect match!” Lily jogged in front of them and leaned forward as if examining something interesting. “I think you’re just the kind of person to get him to speak, Tenten.” She finished with a wink.

Tenten’s anger melted from her eyes as her dark face gave off a hint of pink. “Well…I ummm….I have to go!” She released her hand and ran past Lily and into the Spam Zone.

Lily ran after her, leaving a very confused Shino behind. “Hey, Tenten! Wait up!” Lily turned the corner into the Spam Zone. “Stop, Tenten!” She called.

“You’ve ruined everything!” Tenten stopped running, her body jerking from her sobs. “I’m so embarrassed. How could you do something like that to me?!”

“What exactly did I ruin? Your distant crushing?”

“You should have stayed out of it!” Tenten spun around, tears splashing to the ground. “Now he’s going to think I’m some weird, stupid girl!”

A comforting smile eased across Lily’s face as she walked up to Tenten and put her arm around her shoulder. “Shino’s not like that. Listen, picture Shino’s heart in a block of ice. You could be the sunbeams that melt away the ice and get to his heart! Into the deeper meaning of Shino.”

Tenten sniffled as she wiped her eyes with the back of her eyes. “You really think so?”

“I know so. But you’ll never be able to save him if you don’t tell him how you feel.”

Tenten looked up in surprise as she spotted Shino trotting directly for them. Lily pushed Tenten toward him and they met in the middle. “Ummm….” Tenten began to wring out her hands. “I have something to say to you, Shino.” Tenten looked back at Lily who flashed her an encouraging thumbs-up. “I umm….I love you.” She spat out finally.

Lily looked up at Shino to see no reaction on his face. He scratched the back of his head nervously while looking away from them. “Thank you,” he replied finally.

Tenten looked at the ground a bit discouraged. “You’re welcomed.”

“I had best get going now, I’ll see you all later.” Shino turned and walked back out of the Spam Zone.

“The nerve of that guy!” Lily stepped beside Tenten and put her hands angrily on her hips. “You confess your love and he just walks away with a simple ‘thank you’?”

Tenten put her hand over her beating heart. “He likes me back.”
“Eh?!”

Tenten smiled happily over at Lily. “You’ll learn, in time, that that’s Shino’s way of expressing things. He has to like me back, if he had stayed and had said anything else but what he did, my heart would be broken. It’s filled with joy, this is the start I know it is. The starting of Shino’s ice being melted and letting the warm glow of love in.” Tenten hugged Lily quickly. “Thank you for giving me courage.” She ran off to find the others and give them the good news.

Lily rubbed the back of her neck, completely confused. “Why can’t people around here be normal?”

Lily heard the panting of someone running up behind her, she turned to see it was Gemakai. “Sakura asked me to come find you.” He said leaning forward to get air into his lungs. “She needs help at the Advice Thread.”

Lily grabbed the top of his arm and pulled him along with her. “Then there’s no time to waste, come on.”

When Lily approached the table just outside her office she saw Sakura and tall, silver haired man sitting in the middle of a crowd of people. Sakura looked around nervously until she spotted Lily. “You’re here!” she exclaimed, standing up.

“What’s the problem?” Lily asked sitting down next to Sakura.

Sakura nodded to the man. “This is LemiGod, and he has a serious and sensitive problem that I’m not comfortable talking to him about it.”

“What is it exactly?”

LemiGod twiddled his thumbs on the table. “Well….I have this friend see? And he’s really depressed and umm….ummm….” He looked around at the faces that had gathered. Lily smiled and took his hand.

“It’s not very roomy, but would you like to speak with me in my office instead?”

LemiGod shook his head. “No, I just want to get this all out on the table. Who knows, this is a serious matter, maybe it can help others.” He took a big gulp of air and continued. “My friend is very depressed and a few days ago he tried to hang himself. I don’t know what to do to help him. Every time I see him I just scream and scream and ask him why he could have so much hate. Please, I’m begging you Dr. Lily, how do I help him?”

Lily scratched her right cheek as she went into deep thought. “I don’t think the problem here is so much about helping him become happy as it is ways to help you cope. LemiGod, it’s normal for people to feel angry when someone they love tries to go away from them, but yelling at them through hate will only add to their pile. Talking to them through love will help shove that pile over the cliff.”

“Talking through love? I don’t think I could so that at the moment.”

“Obviously, you have deep emotions going through you right now that your friend doesn’t need at the moment. Even though it feels like a weak time for you, you have to be strong for your friend.” Lily leaned forward and stared him dead in the eyes. “It’s difficult but no one ever said life was easy. Your friend wanted to run away and you have to have the strength to keep him home. He feels alone and you have to show him that you are there to catch him when he’s ready to fall.”

LemiGod stared at the ground, clenching his hands tightly together in his lap. “I understand….” Sakura and a few people around the table wiped their eyes on their sleeves or back of their hands. LemiGod looked back up at Lily, determination staring her down. “Thank you, Lily. I’ll become stronger to protect him.” He pushed back the chair and walked away, lost in the crowd.

“Oh Lily!” cried Sakura hugging her tight around the shoulders. “That was really amazing.”

Without saying another word, Lily pushed back her chair as well and stood. “The Thread is closed for the day, if you have a serious problem please feel free to PM me about it.”

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Lily229

“Lily…” Sakura stood. Lily put her hand on Sakura’s shoulder.

“Sakura, thank you for helping out today. But I think it’s time you head home, you don’t want your mom to be angry at you again right?” Lily finished with a plastered smile and a wink.

Sakura bent down and picked up Roots and held him close. “Yes, I suppose so….”

Lily nodded and turned to walk out of the Spam Zone. As she was walking toward the door she spotted Shino and Kagami walking toward her. Kagami was decked out in a Mod outfit, so she knew there was going to be trouble. "Oh great," she mumbled under her breath. To her surprise, they brushed past her without a single glance. "Huh?" Lily turned to spot them turning down into another hallway. She ran up it and read the sign above it. 'TV and Movie Discussion'. Lily watched as they walked to the end of the hallway and into the lounge.

Lily jogged forward and hide just within the shadows of the enterence. She watched as Shino and Kagami walked up to a man sitting by himself. He had black hair cut into a bowl shape. He was very pale, it reminded Lily of a pearl in the ocean's bottom. He wore a tan button up shirt and shorts. He stood up as they approached him.

"Are you DizzyKilla?" asked Kagami.

DizzyKilla nodded. "I.....a....am." he sputtered. "I...Is....some....sometha....someth ing the mat.....matter?"
Kagami narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to be funny?"

Dizzy shook his head. "I...I've do.....done.....no....nothin....nothing wrong."
Lily watched as Dizzy fought to get the words out. That's when she realized, he wasn't talking like that on purpose. She took a step closer to get a bettre view, now she was interested.

Shino scratched his left ear, slightly annoyed. "I've been getting complaints from other members that you aren't using your provided language inducer. Is it broken?"
"No!" Dizzy said strongly. "I....I don...don't want....it."

"What do you mean you don't want it? Wouldn't you like to be able to finish a sentence within a short period of time?" Replied Kagami, taking a step closer to him.

"I'd....rather....be...ma...me." Dizzy stomped his foot. "I'd....ra....rather.....lean....learn.. .on...ma...my...own."

Shino sighed. "If you won't turn it on, I'll have to do it for you. You'll learn to like it."

"I...I'll....jus....just...ton...turn... it...of....off...ag...again!"

"I'll just ban you," Kagami snapped back.

"And I'll just get him unbanned," snapped Lily coming up behind them. "Dictatorship my ass."

Shino turned his head slowly, his stern face now annoyed. "Oh great, it's you."

Lily flashed him a cocky smile. "Damn straight it's me. DizzyKilla can talk however he wants." Lily jabbed her finger in Shino's chest. "You all will just have to learn to like it."

Kagami stepped between Lily and Shino, he towered over her, hands on his hips. His pose demanded athority. "This isn't normal member work, don't interfer."

"I don't give a damn how you see my rank as, I won't sit back and watch someone get wrongfully banned. There is no way there's a specific rule stating someone has to turn on their what-you-ma-call-it."

"A Language Inducer." Kagami sighed as if he was talking to a stubborn child. "How about I give you some points and you go run along and buy some dolls or whatever it is that little girls do. This is big boy stu..."

Lily kicked him in his left shin. "How's that for a little girl?!"

Kagami hissed in pain through gritted teeth as he rubbed his shin. "Shino! Did you see that! She insulted a Mod."

Shino snickered slightly. "Yeah, and it was pretty entertaining too."
"You're not helping." Kagami straightened. "Either way, your voice has no authority here. He's being annoying."

"There's no rule for being annoying is there, Shino?" Lily eyed him and Shino returned the glare.

Shino and Lily exchanged death glares, sparks flew between them. "Whatever," Shino said finally breaking the silence. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sulked off.

Kagami stood there, stunned. "Wha...! You're just going to leave?!"

Lily stuck out her tongue as she chuckled. Shino turned and eyed Kagami. "Come along, Kagami. I'll go buy you something that big boys like."
"If it doesn't involve booze or babes, I'm not interested." Kagami strolled after him. Lily caught it, before he left, a menicial gleam in Kagami's eye.

Dizzy came up behind Lily, staring at the ground. "Tha....thank yo....you. Ca....call.....me....Dizzy....pla....ple ase."

Lily turned around quickly and gave him a big toothy smile. "It's fine by me, Dizzy. I'm Lily." She extended her hand and he took it. "If Shino ever messes with you again you just tell me. Ok?"

"O...ok...."

A question kept poking at Lily until she just had to finally ask it. "Why don't you use that language thing anyway?"

"Ba...because...I....don't...wa....want. ..to...be...like...eve....everyo....ever yone....ele...else. I....If...you....ta...take....out...th.. .the...uni...unique....ness....of...ever ....everything....the...then...everyone. ..is...th...the...sa..same. Yo...you...los...lose.....the....abil... abilit...ability....ta...to...be...dif.. .differ...different...an...and...bei...b eing.....your...self. Tha...that's....why...I...la...left...th e....Rea....Real...World...beca....becau se....ever...everyone....had..lost....th a....their....li...light. Wha....why shod...should...I...hav...have....ta...t o...cha...change...beca...because...it's ...a..an...incon...inconvien...inconvien ce....to...tha...them?"

Her heart slowed to a gentle beat, listening to his words. "....Dizzy..." Even without a language inducer, she could read his heart, hear his words pourly sweetly from his mouth.

Dizzy stared at the ground, shifting his feet around uncomfortably. "Ba....but...if...Li...Lily...wan....wan ted....ma...me...ta..to...chan....change ...than...then...I...wod...would."

__________________

Lily229

Lily smiled gently and took his hands. "I think Dizzy should stay Dizzy.

Dizzy smiled and squeezed her hands. "Diz...Dizzy will ra...remain....Dizzy...fa...for...Lily." Dizzy looked down at his watch. "Ma..my girlfra...girlfriend...is...wa...waiting ....fa...for...me... See....yu...you....la...later..Lily."

Lily waved him off as he dashed out of the lounge and into the mainhallway. Lily closed her eyes and took in his words. "How can someone so strong be built on such a shakey foundation and still find the strength to stand?" she whispered to herself. She took a deep breath. "I need to have his courage when I deal with my obstacles."

Lily started to stroll out of the lounge when she felt a slight tingling in her wrist. She looked down to see a black rose charm shaking wildly by an unknown wind. When Lily reached for it, it snapped off her bracelet and tumbled helplessly to the ground. Lily bent down and lightly brushed it with the tips of her fingers. "What's goi..." Bright light swirled around her. She kept her eyes on the ground, her body frozen in time. I...I can't move! Am I transforming?

Lily watched in horror as the solid ground beneath her turned to a puddle of deep, black water. Her body made ripples, breaking the peace over the quiet water. Lily felt her lungs contracting for air, it was so humid depsite the water around her, she was gasping for air like a fish out of water. Lily's eyes grew wide as a girl materialized beneth her, their bodies connected by the tips of their toes. Her fair, pale skin was the only light in the black water. This is....This is the place I was in when I touched my Hacker Mark! Lily's mind screamed.

The girl leaned forward and stared deep into Lily's eyes. A sharp pain erupted in her heart. She found she could move once more when she toppled over in pain, grasping onto her chest. "It hurts!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the darkness.

The girl underneth the water smiled happily as she continued to lean forward, growing closer and closer to Lily. Lily looked down at her feet as the girl reached through the water and wrapped her fingers around Lily's ankle. Lily's body began shaking at fear, the once fair skin was now long, bony, vainy and gray. They didn't even look human anymore. The fingers smelled like wet, rotting bodies. Lily could feel her food crawling its way up her throat.

The girl whispered, there was a calming peace covering up the darkness that loomed within her words. "Don't let him touch you. Don't let him break out bond."

"Stop it," she hissed as the other hand grabbed further up her leg. "Stop it !" Lily cried.

Lily felt warmth explode from her bracelet. She grabbed her ears as the girl underneth gave a long, angry scream of pain, she watched as the hands dispersed around her ankle. She felt the ground become solid again, she slid down onto her knees and stared up at the tiled ceiling that was The Forum. She was gasping for air, and she could feel her body soaked with sweat.
Lily looked down at her ankle, hand prints burned through her pants and pressed against her skin. "What the hell was that?" The image of the girl burned into her mind. "It felt so real."

Shakily, Lily gripped onto the wall and forced herself to stand. "I have to be strong.." she hissed through her teeth. "Sitting around won't get any questions answered." She pushed her sweat dripping bangs from her eyes. "I can't go ask Roots, not with Sakura around." Still panting slightly, she walked outside, a strong cooling wind hit the back of her neck tossing her ponytail high in the air. "Who can I talk to!? Someone give me a sign!"

Lily threw up her hands to the air in surrender to her frustration. She looked up at her hands, and watching as the setting sun broke through her parted fingertips. There was a small ringed shadow, circling her left ring finger. Mistress voice came into her mind. This ring came from the Crimson Village.
"That's it!" exclaimed Lily. "I'll go to the Crimson Village and speak with someone who might know more about Tom's brother."

**

"How is his condition?" replied the woman, running her fingertips gently over the neon case.

"It's stable," replied the man. "For some reason, he doesn't seem to want to heal himself."

"Why would our Master not what to heal himself? Doesn't he realize this is a crucial time for him? She's out there!" The owner of the bubbly voice jumped down into the light of the neon tank. Her small, child-like face was outline nicely by her bright yellow hair. Dangling from each strand of her thick, yellow hair was little red ribbons. "Ribbon will bring her back here so our Master can become well again!" She hopped from foot to foot, in an excited dance.

"Calm yourself, Ribbon. We can't even go near her when she's in NL. Tom's barrier is too strong for us and Shino would quickly detect us."

"We can't just sit around!" exclaimed Ribbon.

The woman stepped forward, her arms crossed. "Deccrix, how do you propose we get to her then if you won't let us enter the city?"

Deccrix smiled and tapped a little black box on his waist. "Relax Zi, I've tapped into her account to know when she's signed in and out. The second she signs out of the city we attack and bring her here."

Zi narrowed her eyes at the neon tank. "Hmmph, why is she so special?
"Ribbon will kill her good!" Ribbon cried jumping up and down. "Ribbon will decorate the walls with her insides and pretty ribbons!"

Deccrix felt a small vibration from the black box. "Well, what great timing she has."

Zi stepped forward. "We need someone here to watch over and keep his condition stable. I shall go alone."

Ribbon stomped her feet continuously as Zi strolled past her. "No fair Zi! Ribbon wanted to go and kill her!"

"I'll let you torture her when I bring her back." replied Zi, coldly. The wall slid aside letting in light to the dark room briefly as Zi stepped out.

Ribbon crossed her arms and flopped down onto the floor. “It’s not fair! Zi never lets me have any fun!”

there you all go ^^ hope it was nice for all to read. The Dizzy thing really made me sad even though I was the one writing it. Speaking of which, if you have difficulty understanding it, I'll post the translations in the Discussion Thread. Thanks for Reading!

__________________

Lily229

Ok, here's the next chapter @.@. I think it's as action packed as I'm going to get now-a-days. Let me get over a hump and then I'll be back to writing better.

Chapter 17

Lily stepped toward the edge of the woods, trying to remember how to get to the Forest of Cherry Blossoms. "Last time I was here, One led me there." Lily kicked up the dirt. "Stupid me for running off without even thinking about the details." She sighed and stared into the pitch black forest. "Guess I'll just have to close my eyes and go for it."

Lily took a big breath and dove right into the forest. She ducked and jump over passing tree limbs, keeping her eyes open, trying to make out anything that might bring her harm. She didn't stop running until she ran into a large clearing. Looking around, she saw that all the trees were dead and rotting, decaying pieces of a faded pink littered the ground. Lily bent down and touched one with her fingertip, only to have it disigrate at her touch. She gave a small gasp when she realized it was a cherry blossom pedal. She was in the Forest of Cherry Blossoms.

"What happened to this place," she said standing up and looking around at the death. "It looks like someone burned it down."

Lily's ear perked up when she heard a soft rustling around her. "Hello?" She called out, spinning around, trying to find where the noise was coming from and who was making it. "Is someone there?"

What Lily couldn't see was a hundred men and women with bows and arrows, pulling back and aiming directly for Lily. A woman appeared through the brush and held up her hand. "Stop," she commanded. "She's not an enemy!"

"Sa...Sakatsu?!" exclaimed Lily, spinning around and staring, open mouthed, at Sakatsu.

Sakatsu slid her guitar back behind her and smiled. "I didn't think I'd see you here again. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I need some questions answered and you told me that if I wanted to know more to seek you out. You didn't forget did you?"

Sakatsu chuckled. "Nah, I remember. I always keep my word. Come on." Sakatsu said as she led Lily through the forest.

Lily looked over her shoulder at the decaying forest. "What happened to it?"

"Not all that sure really, ever since a few days ago the things here in the forest have been bizarre and almost dead."

"What was that all about anyway?" asked Lily eyeing Sakatsu.

Sakatsu's bright face turned dark and grim. "My people have to be cautious during these hard times. Had I not shown up and told them you were a friend, you probably would be dead right now."

"Ep!" Lily stopped which had Sakatsu turning back and laughing.

"Relax, I was there wasn't I?" She pushed some brush away and stepped aside. "Welcome to the Village, Lily."

"Whoa..." A tiny town, with ruins for buildings. There was fires around the village where people were cooking food or trying to soak up as much warmth as possible. Tiny Virus's like the little red headed one Lily had seen earlier ran around, playing with children. It broke Lily's heart to see those same, happy children, dressed in dirty rags. "This village..."

"Our people have had no source of food or medicine, Tom has virtually cut us off. He has his own problems, hell I bet he doesn't even realize that there are still humans living here."

Lily looked over at Sakatsu as she led her through the dirty village. “This is terrible, Sakatsu.”

Sakatsu nodded. “It wasn’t always like this. It used to be a prosperous town, the streets were paved with gold if you might say.”

“Why don’t you move then if the conditions are so bad?”

Sakatsu stopped, staring at her feet, trying to find the rights words. “This…is our home. This is the only home we know. We can’t just leave it, we have to stand by it and hope for the best.”

“Sakatsu…”

A smile crept slowly on Sakatsu’s sad face. “I was abandoned by my mother just outside of this village. She was from NC but cast me away when she saw the mark on my back as a child, being a Hacker in their eyes is like leprosy. As I grew here, I heard stories of how great life use to be here, and I vowed to my foster mother that I would bring that happiness back.” She clenched her fists tight at her side. “No matter what.”

Lily walked next to Sakatsu and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I understand how you feel, I really do but at the same time you have to realize, people can’t live like this forever.”

Sakatsu’s head shot up, staring Lily down to where she took a step back in fear. “We’ve lived like this for the past twenty five years and we will continue to live it until the conditions get better. Once we take our revenge…” She grew more silent. “Then things will be better.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come,” said Sakatsu, leading Lily to a giant white tent. Inside were a table and two chairs in the far left corner, a bed and a pit for a fire in the middle. Sakatsu ushered Lily to the table and sat down opposite of her. “Over a fifty years ago, this village was created by Tom’s father. He was just a normal human who stumbled upon a great land. Soon, others followed him when he returned to the Real World and told stories of a magical land of demons and prosper. Later on, he and his wife birthed two sons, one of them Tom, but their mother died while giving birth to Tom.”

“So that means he had an older brother!” exclaimed Lily.

“You’re sharp one eh?” Sakatsu crossed her legs and continued. “As they grew, the eldest of the brothers fell in love with a healer, born and raised here just as he was. During that time, a terrible epidemic took the lives of nearly 1/3 of the villages. The healer found a cure but soon, she too fell victim to the horrific disease. It drove the elder brother mad, so mad that he killed his own father then took his own life. Tom was the last remaining heir and fled from the village. Since the will from their father had given complete control of the village to the eldest of the two, the will was never change. Tom never gained control of the village, but now, he wants the territory back that he feels is rightfully his.”

“Eh?!” Lily stood up in excitement. “Where did Tom go then?”

“He created NC to keep Virus’s out and human’s in, then it became to overcrowded and he created NL which is where you reside today.”

“Why would Tom want to flee the village so badly?”

“They say that he watched his brother kill both their father and himself and to save his own life, fled.” Sakatsu shrugged. “You know how stories can get mixed up over time.” Sakatsu chuckled and slapped her forehead. “I’m sorry. You came all the way here to ask me something and I’m just mindlessly ranting away. Please, go on.”

“Who is Tom’s older brother?”

Sakatsu blinked, a little taken back. “What kind of question is that?”

Lily folded her hands gingerly in her lap and stared down at them. She spoke quietly. “How exactly did he die?”

Sakatsu propped her leg up on the table and leaned back in her chair. The knives in the heels of her boot gleamed contently before Lily’s eyes. “Hmm…That’s a tough question. No one really ever asked before. Mind if I ask why you’re so interested in knowing?”

Lily wrung out her hands in her lap. “Nevermind, just skip that question. Can you tell me what a ‘Pure Mark’ is?”

“Oh, now see that one’s easy!” Sakatsu sat forward, excited now to spread information. “A Pure Mark is created when a human and a Virus share a bond. Hacker Marks are created when a human receives a Hacker Item, but if there is no Hacker Item present but there is a Virus then what is known as a ‘Pure Mark’ will be created. You’ll see a lot of children around here have them.”

“Is it dangerous to the person’s life? Does it hurt them?”
Sakatsu smiled. “Come on now, we may be poor but we’re not cruel. If it hurt our people would we really let Virus’s live with us? The person with the Pure Mark is virtuously harmless, depending on how strong the Virus is.”

“How strong it is?!”

“Relax, relax. No real major side effects have ever been reported. I mean, hell, it is called a Pure Mark.”

“That’s true.” Lily clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “Sakatsu….Your Hacker Mark. Does it ever, hurt?”

“When you first get it, it can feel like it’s tearing at your skin but it usually goes away.”

“Have you ever touched your Mark?”

Sakatsu’s eyes gleamed over. “You touched it didn’t you!?” Sakatsu stomped her legs excitedly against the dirt floor. “You know that Virus’s can be created by Hackers right?” Lily nodded. “Well that place on your back is where they come from. It’s basically like a birthing place, although it feels more like limbo if you ask me.”

“When you went inside, was it really cold and dark? Did you feel…lonely standing in there?”

“Standing in there?!” Sakatsu’s sudden voice change had Lily jumping slightly. “You’re not supposed to go into there! You can see but you can’t become part of it that could be dangerous. How could you even possibly pull that off? I’ve been in there for hours and alls I can do is looked down upon it like I’m flying.”

“Is it dark and lonely?” Lily asked again.

“Not really. It’s a place of birth, usually people are happy by it.” Sakatsu raised her right eyebrow. “What exactly do you have going on in there?”

“It’s nothing really.” Lily looked around the room. “This is a terrible way to live, Sakatsu. You should change it.”

Sakatsu’s excited stomping ceased. Her face grew cold and stern. “Oh, we will change it.”

"How so?" asked Lily.
"NC is pushing for war against us. They want to take our land and clean it out to make room for an extension on the city and when we wouldn't give it up as easily as they had hoped, they threatened us with violence. Any day now, they could attack us." Sakatsu pushed her chair back and walked over to the pit. "Do you like hot chocolate? It's a little strong and bitter but it makes you feel alive."

__________________

Lily229

Lily slammed her hands on the table. "How can you go about this all calmly? We're talking about a war starting up."

"If I get all hyped up about it, things will go wrong and I could have many more casualties then if I were to stay calm." She set up a small stand with a tin coffee pot on it. "I want this war, I want to show Tom we're not weak."

"But, innocent people will die, Sakatsu." Lily stood up and walked over to Sakatsu and kneeled next to her. "Nothing good can grow from soil bathed in blood."

"You don't know anything!" Sakatsu watched the flames in the pit. "You don't know what has happened! You don't know how my people have struggled."

"Sakatsu..."

"Get out!" Sakatsu screamed, jumping up and pointing her at the opening of the tent. "Get out now before I kill you!"

Lily stood up and clenched her fists tight at her side. "I will not! I won't leave knowing you're leading innocent people into a bloody war."

"That's the only thing we can do! Do you think I'm happy with how things turned out?"

"I think there's a back road to everything and you're not even bothering to take it because it might to hard, or your pride might be damaged." Lily stared at the ground. "I'm not saying you shouldn't fight for your home, that's noble but leading innocent people into battle is wrong." Lily's head shot up, tears dripping softly from her brown eyes. "It's wrong Sakatsu, no matter the cause!"

Sakatsu remained silent, grinding her teeth with her mouth closed tight. "Lily...Don't sit there and act like you know what it's like to struggle. Don't sit there in front of me and tell me that those pigs aren't getting fat off of our misery! Don't look me in the eye and say that what I'm doing is wrong when you have no idea what's really going on!" Sakatsu reached down and grabbed the tin pot. Lily could hear the sizzling of Sakatsu's skin as her shaking hands grasped onto the handle. Lily ducked as Sakatsu threw with all her might, the tin pot at Lily's head. It shattered helplessly against the wall, hot chocolate dripping gingerly off the white walls of the tent. "Get out now."

Lily slowly opened her eyes to see Sakatsu standing there, her eyes bright shining brightly with anger and frustration, smoke coming from her ears. “Sakatsu…” Lily stood up straight and started to walk toward her. When she was right beside her, Lily stopped but kept her eyes forward. “I will go now, thank you for your time and information.” Lily nodded toward the dark brown mess on the wall. “And the hot chocolate.”

Sakatsu kept her body stiff and straight as Lily brushed through the door and back out into the village streets. Her heart sank, it was easy for her to judge when she couldn’t see the whole picture, but standing outside, watching the children play in dirt and urine stained clothes made her hate herself for telling Sakatsu she was wrong. Lily held her head low, ashamed with herself as she walked through the village and back into the forest.

**

Zi jumped from tree limb to tree limb, searching for where the signal was strongest. She stopped herself just outside the outskirts of the village. “Wow, it’s been a while…since I’ve been home,” she whispered to herself. “Eh?” she leaned forward as she watched Lily and a tall woman dressed in a tight back outfit walk into a off white tent.

Zi jumped down from the tree and began to take another step forward when she heard soft rustling behind her. “I don’t have time for you peons.” She said without looking back at the gathering soldiers. “You all have families to go home to and war to fight, don’t waste your lives here."

The soliders ignored her warning as they raised their bows. Zi turned around on her heels, her thin, ankle-length raven hair swished lightly as she spun. A crimson glaze brushed across her deep purple eyes as a malevolent smile brushed across her cherry lips. The soilders released the arrows and remained steady as they watched their offensive attack dart straight toward Zi. She didn't flinch as the arrows pieced her snow white skin, deep red blood spilled at her feet as arrow after arrow pumpeled her.

The head archer, a tall man dressed in dark greens in the middle of the crowd, raised his hands to cease fire. He took a step closer toward the cloud of dust that had once been the woman dressed in shredded purple clothes, trying to see better. A dark figure imerged from the dust pile, arrows shot from around her as if being repelled a hundred times full. Bodies dropped like full sacks of rocks, those standing were bathed in their allies blood. The head archer screamed into the darkened sky before an arrow shot through his throat. "We're under atta....ack!"

"Sakatsu-sama!" someone cried from the back running toward the village.

Lily stomped through the forest, clenching and unclenching her fists in anger and frustration. “Ooooh that Sakatsu.” Lily stopped and threw her head back. “She makes me so frustrated!”

“Sakatsu-sama!” the girl cried, pushing her way through the brush. “We’re under attack! We’re und….Ack!” an arrow pierced the back of her skull and the tall woman hovered over her.

“Damn you’re annoying. I could hear you from all the way over there.” She squinted her almond shaped eyes. “Baka.”

Zi jumped back unto a nearby tree limb as a bolt of blue lightning struck the ground where she had been standing. A few seconds later as the dust cleared, Sakatsu burst through the bushes followed by reinforcements. Sakatsu stopped, her guitar held tightly in her hand as she looked up in the trees. “Zi…” she whispered.

“Onee-sama!” Zi cried putting her hand to her heart. “For a second there, I thought it was going to be nothing but weaklings from here on in. How are you, Onee-sama?”

Sakatsu brushed her fingers lightly against the strings of her guitar. “Did you do this Zi? Are you the one attacking us? Why? Damnit, tell me!”

“Still as bossy as ever.” Zi sighed and crossed her arms. “I suppose it’s to be expected from someone of savage descent. Do not fear though, I didn’t come here for you.”

Sakatsu stared down at the dead girl next to her. “I don’t care what your reasoning is. Alls I know is that you did it and that’s good enough reason to arrest you. In the name of the Crimson Village! I, Sakatsu, will bring you to justice for crimes against the village.”

Zi smiled and cocked her head playfully to the side. “You’re starting to sound like the people you despise, Onee-sama. Are you talking about the crimes before or after today?”

“Both,” hissed Sakatsu as she brought her hand up high above her head. Dark blue energy swirled around her fist. “I won’t let you get away from me this time, Zi.” She screamed as she brought her hand down and struck the cords of the guitar with such force, it sent out wave after wave of powerful aftershocks that carried across the forest.

Lily turned to the sound of birds cawing and flying away as if afraid. She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at a giant approaching object it looked like an avalanche. Lily’s heart beat fast as the giant wave of energy and dirt shot up into the air, above her head, it peaked before coming back down again. “AHHHH!!!” cried Lily turning and running as fast as she could, pumping her legs and arms for dear life. “Why does this always happen to MeEEE!” The wave of dirt, trees and energy hit hard against her back and had her tumbling down a hill and over a cliff.

Deccrix slammed him hands against the wall as he felt the little black box vibrate like crazy. “Zi!” he called out into the empty room.

Zi heard the echo as she dodged Sakatsu’s offensive attack. “What?!” she cried back, bending backwards to miss a swing from the body of Sakatsu’s guitar.

“We need Lily alive! Your mission is to bring her back alive!”

“What are you talking about Dec? I haven’t even made contact with the target yet!”

Sakatsu jumped down and kicked her leg up into the air. Zi just barely stepped back as the knife in Sakatsu’s heel just barely brushed her chin. “Target huh? I won’t let you near whoever it is.”

“I’m a little busy right now, De…”

“I don’t give a damn about what your problem is. The girl has obtained serious damage, if she’s dead then you’re dead do you understand me?! Go find her now!”

Ribbon strolled into the room, a big childish smile on her face. “I told you, you should have let me go and get her.”

Deccrix eyed Ribbon and sighed. “Zi can handle it.” He gripped hard onto the desk, small cracks sneaking up along the woodwork. “For her sake, she had better be able to handle it.”

Zi jumped back and flew backwards through the air. She saluted Sakatsu. "Love to stay and chat Onee-sama, but I have business else where." The shreds of clothing she had on sprang from her body as if alive and spun around her. "Lets play again!" She shrieked viociously as she disappeared into a swirl of deep purple clothing.

__________________

Lily229

"Hey..." Sakatsu's body tightened. Her back stiff, her body shaking in anger. "Heal the wounded and bury the dead. NC could attack us any day now!"

Lily awoke upon a dirt mound, her body throbbing from the tumble she had just taken. “Ugh…now I know what a pair of socks in the dryer feels like,” she hissed, pushing herself up. “What the hell was that all about anyway?” She rubbed the back of her head and pulled back to look at her hand. Tiny droplets of blood painted their way across her hand. She spat unto the ground and touched the spot again.

She shook her head to try and shake off the dizzy feeling and looked up. “I fell…from there and I’m still alive?” Lily stood and swayed slightly. “I’ve never been this part of the forest before. I wonder where I am….”

She wandered through the thick forest. She heard soft voices talking in the distant and proceeded forward. “If there’s talking then there must be people!” she exclaimed happily. She ran through the bushes, past the trees and into a small campsite. The men and women there stopped in mid action to stare at her. She waved, embarrassed. “Umm…heh…heh…hi.”

“Lily?” said a voice from behind the crowd. The crowd parted as a man pushed through them and toward her.

“Daisuke?” Lily was slightly taken back to see Daisuke here, and in his Mod outfit. He looked like he was ready for battle.

“What are you doing here?” he ran up to her and took her hands. He lifted up her arms and checked the back of her head. “What happened to you?!”

Lily shook her head and sat up. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here? And in your Mod armor….” She stopped when she truly looked at him. The symbols were different; the orchid flower that went across his heart was no longer there. The symbol in his left hand was gone and replaced by a chocker with a dark green square on it. “That’s not a NL’s Mod outfit.”

Daisuke turned, embarrassed. “Lily, you need to go home now, I don’t want you in the middle of this.”

Lily felt her heart drop to her toes. Her body went numb from realization. Daisuke wasn’t there on NL business, he was there as a solider for NC. “You’re going to war against the village aren’t you?”

Whispers spread over the crowd; Daisuke’s face went pale as he looked back at her. He gripped her shoulders and shook her slightly. “How did you know ab…”

Lily slapped him hard across the face. Everyone stared at her stunned as soft tears fell from her eyes. “You all should be ashamed! Those are innocent people living in that village, women, child and families! Who gives you the right to disrupt them like that?”

“That would be me,” said a deep, seductive voice from behind the crowd. A man dressed in all black armor, a deep red loincloth draped between his legs as he walked with respect and power toward her.

“Tallion…” Lily whispered. Lily stormed up to him, a anger burning and daring to spread through her whole body. She slapped him across his face. “You monster!”

Tallion sighed and brushed her slap away as if it was nothing but a simple pat. “Daisuke please restrain your girlfriend and escort her back to her house so she can go back to making babies, or whatever it is that little housewives like you do.”

“Better ask now because it’s not like you’ll ever have a woman!” Lily snapped. Daisuke laid a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Get off me!” she snapped, throwing her arm back at Daisuke’s touch. “I thought Mods were suppose to protect the innocent not attack them!”

Tallion sighed and brought his face down to where their noses barely brushed. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

Lily brought her hand back to punch him when another man stepped up from behind her and grabbed her wrist. “Better stop now why you’re ahead,” said Verm.

Lily struggled against Verm’s strong grip. “Let me go!” He pulled her away. Lily felt a burning sensation from her wrist. That hurts! Why does his touch hurt me?! Tears poured. “I never thought any of you would be so disgusting! Haven’t they struggled enough?”

“Those filthy savages are to full of pride to take any help we offer them. Their beloved village is nothing but ruins of times past and we have direct orders from Tom to destroy it.”

“There are people living there!” She pulled her hand free of Verm’s grasp and ran up to Daisuke. She grabbed his arm and held on tight, staring deep into his eyes. “There are homes and families up there. You can’t just destroy them.”

Daisuke stared at her with a blank expression. He couldn’t find the words to make her understand. Lily’s tears dripped softly on his arm and hands.

Tallion stepped forward and pulled her hand away. “We won’t destroy them, we’re going to provide them with food and shelter in NC or NL.”

“But that won’t be home, that’ll be prison to them!” Lily’s body shook from anger. “Why can’t I make you understand?” Her heart beat slowed as the reality sunk in. Was this how Sakatsu felt when I wouldn’t understand? All the pain, the anger, the frustration all coming out at once. Lily’s body calmed and she took a step back, her arms falling limply to her side. “I can’t make any of you understand. I hope that when you arrive there, you’ll see the error of your ways.” She fell to her knees in defeat, staring at the ground. “I hope that this battle with not happen, that no more innocent blood can be spilled.”

Daisuke leaned down and put an arm around her shoulders. She jerked it off and stood by herself. “Someone take me home, I just want to go home now.”

“I’ll take you home…” Daisuke whispered.

Tallion stepped in front of them. “I should arrest you for striking an officer, refusing orders and insulting an officer.” He reached for her, she gave no fight back, her body was to tired to fight. When she didn’t feel a hand on her, she looked up to see Daisuke gripping hard onto Tallion’s wrist.

“That will be something dealt with for another day. Right now, I’m taking her home.” Daisuke hissed, his eyes burning with suppressed anger.

Tallion held up his hands and Daisuke led Lily out of the campsite and into the forest. They were quiet for most of the trip. When they got to the Forest of Cherry Blossoms, Daisuke stopped. Lily walked forward shortly before turning and looking back. “Hmm?”

Daisuke refused to look her in the eye. “I don’t want to fight. I know it’s wrong.”

Lily bite down hard on her lower lip to keep the anger at a low simmer. “Then why don’t you lay down your sword and stop this?”

Daisuke swayed from one foot to the next, trying to keep his mind stable. “Because, those are my orders.”

“The Daisuke that I know doesn’t take orders. He gives them,” replied Lily with a steady voice. Daisuke gave a small gasp at Lily’s comment. “You all know it’s wrong,” she continued. “Other then Tallion that is. But you all are willing to do it. Saying you don’t want and not doing are two completely different things, Dai. They are fighting with twigs and sticks while you all have cannons and machine guns. It’s sick and wrong and you of all people should understand.”

Lily turned around and walked past him. “I thought you were different then that, Dai.” She said as she continued on.

He spun around. “Where are you going?!”

“To warn the village of NC’s upcoming attack.” Lily stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not on either side. I’m for the innocent people, that’s why I fight. What do you fight for Daisuke?”

Lily turned and continued walking toward the village. She felt Daisuke’s hand slip into hers. “I fight to protect the people I love,” he whispered. “And the people that they love,” he finished with a childish smile. “Now, lets go stop this war!”

meh, there you go. Wasn't all that happy with it but meh *shrugs*

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