Streams of Gold

Sequel to Streams of Silver

By Sirine

Disclaimer- The charries are not mine and all that, blah, 'cept for Raven, who WILL be coming back and stuff. :smile:

Sparks flew in all directions as the ball of energy zoomed around the corner, skidding against the wall leaving a dark burn behind. The ball stopped short in midair and hovered for a moment, then zoomed off in another direction. Passerby stared at it curiously, but none thought anything of it; strange occurrences were common in The World.

No one would have thought it to be the beginnings of Tsukasa's returning consciousness

The little ball of light zoomed around some more until finally it found what it had been looking for. Lady Subaru's boat glided out from under the bridge and into sight of the common PC's. The little energy ball let off a burst of light and bee-lined for Subaru, who stood on the prow of the boat today.

Subaru saw what she thought was a firefly heading her way and smiled. Bear, Mimiru, and Ginkhan stood behind her and watched its approach as well. Ginkhan was the only one who was uneasy at the 'firefly's' approach, however, and he put a hand to the hilt of his sword, ready to use it as a flyswatter if necessary.

Mimiru looked back at him and grinned. "Hoy, Ginkhan-san, you scared of a bug these days, ne?" Bear laughed along with her, enjoying the joke at the Knight's expense.

The ball of energy stopped inches away from Subaru's shoulder and stayed there, pulsing like a heartbeat. Subaru smiled at it, thinking that she had found a new friend.

"Hello there, little one," she said quietly, reaching up to touch it with her hand. To her surprise, the 'firefly' dipped down and alight upon her bare shoulder. She let out a small gasp as she felt a mind touch hers, a familiar mind, with a link as strong as a long-lost lover.

Subaru! A wave of navy came with the mental greeting, portraying intense deliverance.

"Tsukasa?" she asked of it in disbelief. Her friends looked at her. Mimiru leaned forward to stare at the 'firefly'. "Eh, Subaru-sama, that's a buggy thing, not Tsukasa..." She poked the 'buggy thingy' and received a sharp mental warning in return, along with a painful electric shock from the computer.

Baka, Mimiru! A sharp slap of white hit the young fighter's mind Mimiru jumped back with a sound halfway between a gasp and a snicker. "Tsukasa!" An awkward moment, then, "...Tsukasa's turned into a buggy thing!" Mimiru doubled over and crowed with laugher.

The ball of energy pulsated scarlet and all could feel the anger that radiated from it.

I did not go through what I had to go through to return to stand here and be humiliated by you! Tsukasa hissed in passionate wrath. His loathing for people began to return in full. Need I remind you what I can DO to you, baka?! A wave of seething black menace washed over Mimiru with this last.

Mimiru remembered that Tsukasa was not like a normal PC and backed away. She had forgotten how cruel he could be in the years that he had been M.I.A.

Bear shook his head and accepted the return of his friend with a nod. "Welcome back, Tsukasa."

Ginkhan did not take the news as well. He glared at the thing that was Tsukasa with undisguised hatred. "Your being alive will throw The World out of whack again!" he growled quietly, not wanting commoners to overhear. "With my authority as a Knight, I command you to leave the servers!"

Subaru looked back at him. "Ginkhan, calm down. I'm sure Tsukasa did not mean to do those things. He is just like us, someone trying to make his way in The World."

Tsukasa's reply was mixed, a feeling of reluctant agreement with Subaru and a faint hint of green to go with it. But unlike you, I am... this thing. Subaru, I have been looking for you everywhere! With your help, I can recreate my PC skin! A dim, hopeful yellow flickered across Subaru's mind. ...will you help me?

Subaru thought about it for a long time, Ginkhan glaring at her the whole time. She knew his opinion on this matter clear enough but....

"...Alright, Tsukasa, I will help you. Tell me what I need to do."