It had been so long since Luke had last logged into "The World". A lot had happened to him since the last time he immersed himself in the simulated reality he refered to as "home". His father had angered him so, and in a drunken fury, punched Luke. The boy brought about a restraining order and had settled into an apartment of his own. He had been traveling the world, trying to get the issues of his old home from his mind. But, even his new apartment could be nothing like the "home" he had found within "The World".

He lived in a small apartment in the city. Though the apartment was small, the rent was fairly cheap. The apartment had two bedrooms, a living room connected to the kitchen, and a small bathroom. Most of the apartment was "plain", the walls simply painted white with no dcorations. In Luke's bedroom, he had a small bookshelf, containg various texts he had read from authors such as Poe and Stephen King. There was a small television that stood atop a wooden dresser that Luke had had since he began middle school. The bed was small, with only enough room for Luke to sleep on it (though he usually slept on the couch). In the living room was a dark blue reclining chair and a matching couch along the wall. Against the wall was another television set, which a CD rack was placed against. And in the corner of the room near the window, sat Luke's computer.

Luke had finally sent another monthly payment to CC Corp., fearing his character's deletion. The very character that had built so many memories and friendships, a character that had become a part of Luke. And of course the friends, the two who were like family to Luke. The powerful rival and friend Ko, and the beautiful girl Luke had once fallen for, Sekai (though he figured she had moved on in life). But, the boy who had grown into a man had to see his "family" once again. He new he had to return "home", return to "The World".

Luke sat at the computer and hesitantly pushed the POWER ON button, anxious of the upcoming meeting. Would his friends remember him even? Would they look down upon him for his absence? One can only find out for theirself. As the familiar orange ALTIMIT screen appeared, a smile crept upon Luke's face.

"Long time..."

Those were the only words that escaped his lips as he eagerly clicked the "The World" icon. Upon a black screen the words "Name" and "Password appeared. It had been so long, but Luke had never forgotten these two very important items.

Name: Sesshomaru

Password: *******

Verifying Name and Password...

Thank you for Playing "The World"

Luke clicked on the Flashmail icon before logging into the game, typing a short message for his old "family" to meet him in Carmina Gadelica.

The boy reached over and picked up his Neuro Goggles, the very piece of technology that helped immerse him in "The World". Though pricy, the equipment was very useful when making a game become reality. The man mounted the FMD over his eyes and clicked "Log-In" and was then completely immersed in "The World".

Carmina Gadelica, a well known area for high level players, was quite beautiful. The Root Town had the appearence of a large city, basking in the ambience of the night. The glow of the stars gave the city and almost "bluish" appearence. The layout of the city was in the shape of an H, with shops at each end of the town. However, behind the Chaos gate, lay the meeting place of the old friends. A small patch of hay was laid upon the ground where a small pig-like creature known as a Grunty roamed.

Luke had become his character, a handsome silver-haired Twin Blade known as Sesshomaru. The character was made of mostly white and red colors, with various flower designs withing hexagons on the sleeves of his kimono. Upon his torso was a black armor with a spiked plated at the very rimming of it. Upon his left shoulder was a strange spiked silver guard, and upon his right shoulder was a long mass of fur that trailed to his feet. His face was also unique as well. His eyes were almost like cats, with red marking that appeared almost like make-up over his eyelids. Upon his forehead, where his hair was parted, was a small blue crecent moon shaped tattoo. And upon each cheek were two purple stripes.

Sesshomaru stroked a hand through his long silver hair and approached the Grunty Ranch. He sat down with his legs crossed amidst the hay and looked out into the distance. As he stared into the vast sea of eternal night and searched his thoughts, the silver haired man smiled eagerly.

"Beautiful... The three of us will be reunited soon enough."

The silver haired man closed his eyes for a moment, searching through the memories of his past. The battles with his brother, the duels held between himself and other players (including Ko), and even the date he had gone on with Sekai. Memories flooded his mind in the following moments, filling his heart wth regret; the regret of having been gone for so long without a word. At last, after searching through his memories, the reminiscing man spoke.

"But... now that I have returned, perhaps things will return to as they once were."

A thought sparked through the man's mind.

Just like before...? No... This time, things will be better

Finally, Sesshomaru opened his eyes once again, and continued gazing upon the stars of the endless night of the city. A smile once again came upon his lips from the hought of seeing his friends once again, and a shiver ran down his spine from the anxiety of wondering their reaction when they finally meet again. But then, only time would tell what the results of this meeting would be.

It was unusual for her to be in Carmina Gaedelica for anything other than stocking up on items, the occasional teleport back into Mac Anu or Dun Loireag, or for going into the Hideout after a few hours of sleep within the comfort of the melancholy cathedral in Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground over on the Delta Server.

However, the flashmail that had arrived soon after Kira had managed to... calm her down and talk her back into a stable-ish state of mind was more than a surprise. After more than a year, maybe... maybe even two since she'd last seen him when Ko_Inuyasha, Raquar and herself had gathered and... that whole player kill business had happened, Sesshomaru had returned and was waiting for her somewhere in the city. Still in disbelief, the young Archer pulled up the message again and reread the contents to herself.

Kira and Sekai could see a figure dressed in white in the distance from their position, the two women atop a roof in the lively downtown area. Kira'd had to help the girl before climbing up herself but, the two found their solace in lying atop a decently angled roof and trying to find constellations that matched some in the actual sky in Sekai's world. Not that they'd been successful by any means but, it was still a fun and time passing occupation that had one or both of them smiling or laughing in the long run.

Something neither one of them had been able to do much of in a long, long while.

“So, you think he's still interested in you?”

Kira asked absently, pupil lacking amber eyes scanning the sky above her as she heard, and felt, the way the smaller girl pushed herself up on her elbows to get a better look at her expression. Luckily for her, it was dark enough that Sekai couldn't see too clearly and that she was good at schooling her expression to prevent it from giving anything away. A pair of tawny eyes surrounded by a cloud of short white hair blocked her view, the girl straddling her with her arms on either side of the taller AI's neck, looking at her with a curious expression on her face.

“Does the idea of him potentially being so bother you?”

That, the silvery-blue haired woman thought to herself, was Sekai's polite way of asking if she was jealous. Fighting against the urge to scowl and smile at the same time, the tall woman pushed herself up with no small amount of feline-like grace as she sat up, nose to nose, and looked at the now cross eyed girl with a smirk on her face. Her fingers, long and slender, brushed the hair out of her little one's face, thumb brushing affectionately across the green marking against her cheek before replying in a decisively calm manner.

“I'd say your 'Nii-chan' is a bigger threat than he is.”

She placed a chaste kiss against the girl's forehead before gently moving her off and standing up to stretch, pointing toward the figure waiting somewhat patiently at the Grunty farm.

“Let's go and get this over with, it might be good for you to just hang around and do nothing for a little while.”

Jumping down and landing in a crouch, Kira turned and assisted the smaller girl in climbing down, catching her by the waist in a rather intimate, possessive manner that had the Juk affiliated Archer's cheeks turning pink before setting her down and leading the way. The two of them walked side by side down the busy streets, the occasional cat call and wolf-whistle ignored by the both of them as each lost herself within thoughts of the past and of how much had changed since the last time they'd both met the Twin Blade.

Sekai had been a Twin Blade herself back then, dressed in a white, green, gold and brown custom design with a much more unusual style than her current appearance gave her, and had still been so... ignorant of what kind of place both worlds could be. Now she was within the game herself, stuck in a coma because of a selfless act of sacrifice to prevent someone she held so dear from falling to the same fate and was caught up in something so unimaginably big that she could scarcely believe half of what tended to happen.

The forest green hakama rustled as she and Kira passed the Chaos Gate, brown leather armor covering her right shoulder and wrapped around her chest and side. One side of a matching colored top, outlined in gold with tiny red gemstones could be seen from the front and behind with an unusual necklace formed of small blue and gold beads with an unusual stone carved in the symbol of the Wood element centered a little below her collarbone. Short, unevenly cut snowy hair fell a little past her chin and framed a young, shy face with large, expressive toffee colored eyes, a small hand tucking some of the strands behind her ear as she paused a few feet away and tried to find the courage, the voice to speak and announce her presence.

So Kira took care of it for her.

Tall and graceful with her silvery-blue hair pulled into a classical bun that revealed the delicate, noble looking facial structure, Kira's eyes were molten gold in hue, bright and fierce, predatory to every definition of the word as she moved subtly, her body language clearly stating that she and she alone had the right to be at the much smaller girl's side. Ocean blue overskirt with gold designs on the lower hem split in front to reveal several layers of what looked like gauzy silk or some other expensive fabric in a pale gold that matched the colors on the one shoulder wrap that covered her chest. A blue mark rested upon her cheek, matching the double crescent moon on her right shoulder and the line around her left while two gold crescents rested within the curve of the blue moons, an Omega looking symbol winding above the blue line on her left arm as she placed a hand against her exposed stomach and cleared her throat.

“We meet again, Sesshomaru wasn't it?”

Her voice was a smooth, clear contra-alto without the slightest bit of an accent as she addressed the white clad Twin Blade in a manner that suggested she was familiar with him, but he not with her. She inclined her head slightly in Sekai's direction, her hand moving, placing itself gently but firmly against the girl's lower back as she pushed the girl to move forward and reintroduce herself. Shy and soft spoken, the white haired Archer- currently without a weapon in sight upon her person- bowed once and spoke.

“I-It's been a while, Sesshomaru-san.”

One thing was for certain, Sekai thought to herself, more than a bit of reluctance and melancholy filtering into her thoughts as she rose from her bow and shifted uncomfortably, despite how things had been before... how much the three of them had traveled “The World” together and fought alongside one another... she wouldn't be able to go back to that time.

Things would never be the same.

The new armored form of the once crimson clad Heavyblade began marching down the perpetually night time city of Carmina Gadelica. With his new position as the second in command of a militaristic clan, he felt it was time for a change in attire. He now stood at six feet and two inches. Armor rested on his shoulders, forearms, and the backs of his hands. He had a thick plate tucked against his chest which held his white clothing tight against his body underneath. A crimson sash was tied around his waste with long tails hanging down in the front. A large red gem stuck out in front in the middle of his armor, a symbol towards his Vak affiliation.

The pinging cry of a flashmail brought himself to his attention while he was trapped in wondering if this change of avatar was really suited towards him. Apparently, Sesshomaru had crawled out from some rock. Ko could still remember the last time they were suppose to get together. It was practically ages ago and now, everything had changed. Sekai was trapped in “The World,” Kira was around, Ko himself was on a constant quest for powers that existed outside the parameters. Was there any place for Sesshomaru in these new events?

He began to move his new body towards the Grunty Farm when he finally got sick of the indecisiveness of it all. He felt like a woman not knowing what to wear before a date. With a blast from the fire inside his body he shattered away the shell of an avatar and reclaimed his position as a “Crimson Heavyblade.” His five foot six form with billowing crimson clothing felt so much more appropriate than that other form. This is who he had been since he logged on, this is who he should remain.

When he came walking around the corner, Sekai and Kira were already greeting the old friend. His level was still low, meaning that he didn't just crawl out from under a rock. He had just crawled out of a rock that was on some other continent. Sekai and Ko both had already broken over level thirty and now boasted powers that would wipe Sesshomaru off of the map. What a pain the silver haired Twinblade must feel to have been left behind by his friends.

”Hey.

He joined in with the group, bringing their numbers to four, on the opposite side of Sekai from Kira and facing Sesshomaru. The Twinblade was taller by a few inches but Ko didn't really care since he could obliterate his former rival with the flick of a Vulcan.

”Long time no see. Done anything interesting?”

It had been quite some time since the win Blade had sent the Flash Mails to his comrades. However, despite the time that elapsed, his patience did not waver. Finally, after even more time gazing upon the stars, a familar voice sounded in from behind.

“We meet again, Sesshomaru wasn't it?”

It sounds like Sekai, but is also not Sekai...

or a few moments, the Twin Blade analyzed the voice and recalled Sekai formerly being posessed by an AI. He closed his eyes, further visualizing moments when Sekai had acted "different". Finally, a seperate voice which he was completely familiar with broke in, causing Sesshomaru to for a moment forget the thoughts of the past which flooded his mind.

“I-It's been a while, Sesshomaru-san.”

Without even turning, Sesshomaru recognized the voice of his past love. Another voice rang in as well. Though it was interesting, the silver haired Twin Blade didn't recall inviting Kira as well to the meeting. But, nonetheless, Sekai had finally arrived, giving Sesshomaru great relief.

"Hello again Sekai. Formal as always I see."

He turned and smiled, noticing the distinct change in her appearence. There, he also saw another female form, notably named "Kira" as the curser, which Luke held in reality, hovered over her form.

Could this be the AI that was once within my Sekai...?

"My former love, the girl who was both one and two at the same time. It is good to finally see you again."

The silver haired Twin Blade looked at them both for a moment, continuing to smile while doing so. He saw that Sekai had changed so much, and now the girl Kira had a true form, no longer in posession of Sekai.

"Although... I still don't know why you're so formal with an old friend. For me to receive an honorific title, it is quite new to me, seeing as how I lost my honor long ago."

Sesshomaru smiled until reaching the final sentence of his statement and his eyes narrowed and he began looking upon the ground with a sigh.

"Although, we will speak of that when our final guest arrives."

Not long after finishing this sentence, the second invited guest arrived.

”Long time no see. Done anything interesting?”

With those words, the elegant Twin Blade turned his head to the side to gaze upon his former ciomrade, Ko. The man who had stuck with him through everything. The friend who had done everything possible for him. He gazed upon the familiar crimson color of his wardrobe and smiled once again. Giving a small chuckle, Sesshomaru spoke in his familiar proper voice that both Sekai, Ko, and perhaps even Kira knew.

"You could say that my friend."

With those words spoken, theTwin Blade clad in white turned his gaze to the stars once more. The smile that had been upon his face once again vanished as he looked upon the stars and the city that seemed so far away, the city that seemed to be impossible to reach.

"The city... is beautiful. Wouldn't you agree?"

With those words, Sesshomaru turned to his friends once again and smiled once more. The three who had journeyed so far and then seperated had finally been reunited. And along with these three a new player to the field had arrived, Kira. Then perhaps she was there all along, just not in tangible form.

"So, my friends, how have you all been?"

Sekai felt her cheeks heat at the comment, eyes immediately shifting away uncomfortably as a silent, momentary pressure of Kira's fingertips against the small of her back gave her a bit of reassurance that it wasn't meant as anything other than an observation. As a result, she sent a quiet wave of gratitude down the link between the two of them as she tried to figure out something, anything to say to break the tension she swore she could see mounting.

“My former love, the girl who was both one and two at the same time. It is good to finally see you again.”

Was it just the distant lights of the city or had the corner of Kira's lips twitched in an effort to resist a smile?

Sekai quietly agreed with the latter of the two comments, how it was good to see him in good health and spirit. All the while in her mind she was wondering about so much, about what on earth she was going to do during this entire thing and how she was going to be able to hide... her condition. Kira didn't seem worried, though her eyes had narrowed ever so slightly at what the white clad man had called her.

"Although... I still don't know why you're so formal with an old friend. For me to receive an honorific title, it is quite new to me, seeing as how I lost my honor long ago."

Lost honor? Sekai blinked, wondering silently if he meant his absence within “The World” or if it were something that had happened outside of the world she was currently a part of. Unsure of how to respond to, well, anything that had been said, she settled for giving a small shrug and shifting her weight to her other foot so she wouldn't make the other fall asleep. Concern settled swiftly into her expression when he looked at the ground and sighed; must have been something that transpired outside of “The World”, perhaps it was what had caused his long absence.

“Although, we will speak of that when our final guest arrives.”

So they were waiting on Nii-san, which meant that... he'd agreed to show up. Wearily the small girl rubbed at her eyes; on one hand, it would be good to see him and she would draw some comfort, some strength from seeing the courageous Heavyblade. But on the other... she had only recently finished a second field with the Eventide Crescendo, not to mention the events that had followed shortly there after with Sana and a person neither one of them were fond of. And if he found out what had happened in both fields... well, she didn't want to even think about the explosion that had a good chance of following.

No, she would trust him, Sekai thought with a shaky steeling of her heart and resolve. If he felt it necessary to... let Sesshomaru in on what had happened in his absence, then it would be said and done. If not... well, then there was nothing to worry about in the long run now was there?

It wasn't too much longer before the familiar crimson robed form arrived in the city, her relief at seeing her older brother figure more than a little visible in her expression. He looked well enough, though she couldn't really tell from the distance, as he approached the three of them. Kira gave a brief raise of her hand in greeting, unusually subdued in her usual antagonistic greeting of the Vak affiliated man and waited while greetings were exchanged between the two men. The taller of the two females seeming more than a little pleased at the place that the powerful Heavyblade had taken on the other side of Sekai, her approval subtle but strong in the way her body language seemed to shift and relax.

Sekai, as always, merely gave a smile and a shy but warm greeting as he stood on the other side of her. The time for... more intense discussion would be left for later, she decided and returned her attention to the one who had called them out there. Maybe, just maybe, they could actually pull of some sort of relaxed, not so serious journey into a field. Certainly Ko, Kira and herself could handle whatever was thrown their way in this server, though she would likely be focusing her efforts on making sure that Sesshomaru didn't get, well, killed too many times due to the distinctive level gap.

Kira and Sekai both looked up at the star filled sky, dimmed by the light of the city as the two women contemplated the question. Beautiful, could such a world really be called that word? All things considered, yes, things were breathtaking, often times awe inspiring in a purely visual sense... but, usually it was a thin veil for what lie lurking underneath.

“So, my friends, how have you all been?”

And therein lie the entire problem when it came to that question; there was the truth, as unbelievable as it was, and then there was the option to either gloss over it and be vague... or outright lie.

As someone who disliked indecision more than anyone else, save possibly for the man standing on the other side of Sekai, Kira chose her own path- and that of Sekai's- without the single bat of an eyelash. The less people knew, the better in her opinion and there was that little fact that she and Sekai, not to mention Zan, had a sect of the Cobalt Knights on the look out for them due to the events that had transpired in their attempt to assist the Eventide Crescendo once again.

“Why don't we go to a field or something and continue playing catch-up there.”

Kira's head inclined in the direction of the lazily spinning Chaos Gate, pupil lacking amber eyes flickering quickly over the area as a whole, distinctly on the look out for... something, maybe even someone in particular before she settled back into the guarded, slightly protective position she'd held before. Much to her surprise, Sekai nodded quietly, a smile that appeared to be genuine and light hearted on the surface on her face as she took a step towards the spinning portal.

“That actually sounds, um, like a good idea. Why don't we do that?”

She shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed and shy as her gaze dropped off to the side slightly.

“Besides, then it'll really be like old times, ne?”

Kira moved forward, fluid grace and power in each step as she looked over her shoulder to make a silent exchange- a warning message, one that said she'd explain later if he wished- with the Heavyblade. He'd probably see right through that fake smile, likely read that there was a bigger reason behind the excuse of reliving old times that had the girl making her decision.

“Random field or we could cut back to Mac Anu and head to the usual place we head to when we don't want to worry about things attacking. Up to you boys.”

She said with a carefree looking shrug, settling in beside Sekai to wait for their response.

((OOC: So. much. hate. for tags. Dx))

“So, my friends, how have you all been?”

The crimson wrapped Heavyblade gave no more than a simple shrug at the question. There was this and there was that but it had all become rather common place. Even Sekai's comatose state had become something that he was used to. The line dividing humanity from high functioning AI like Kira, the battles between good and evil, it was all so common that when he was waking up in the real world, he was expecting now to run into another “big bad” that wants to kill him. It wasn't that he minded either, the exact opposite. He was actually enjoying himself in this new life style.

“Why don't we go to a field or something and continue playing catch-up there.”

Kira nudged her head in the direction of the portal while Ko sighed through his muted mic. Dungeon runs and the daily grind, it seemed so twenty levels ago. Never the less, when Sekai took a step towards the gate herself he payed attention enough to wait for the name of the field to be spoken.

“That actually sounds, um, like a good idea. Why don't we do that? Besides, then it'll really be like old times, ne?”

The shy timid persona wasn't something that he had seen in a while from Sekai but then that made sense since Sesshomaru was here. This Twinblade dressed in white, was he bringing back old memories for her? Kira gave a glancing look to the Heavyblade. He returned with all kinds of telepathic curses that telepathy doesn't work. If she had something to say then she should've just used the whisper chat command. Still, he was getting the message that they should just go and be gone for now. Suited him just fine, he never really cared for Carmina Gadelica.

“Random field or we could cut back to Mac Anu and head to the usual place we head to when we don't want to worry about things attacking. Up to you boys.”

He walked right by Kira little “cute girl” carefree act with little care for it. It didn't suit her and she was horrible at it to boot. With his eyes he could see right down to the devil beneath it all.

”Who cares, if we're going to go then lets just go. Standing around is a waste of play time for those of us that have restrictions.”

Moody much? Perhaps it was him that was being dragged through old memories thanks to Sesshomaru.

((OOC: Sorry for taking so long. School is difficult and a nuisance to my freetime. I will be getting to the post by thi weekend ^_^))