Let's start things off with a disclaimer: I don't claim to own any characters, plot elements, or themes from .hack, being but a simple and humble fangirl. This fic will contain male-male romance and plenty of spoilers for all of //G.U. and also //Returner.

For your reference, Misaki Ryou is the human behind the PC Haseo. This fic takes place more or less one year after the end of //G.U., making him about 18 years old.

Ugh, so I have to provide about a million and one author's notes about this fic. First off, the premise of this story is check-writing…which is, as I have since discovered, incredibly rare in Japan. *headdesk* So please don't bother calling me out on that, cuz I'm already aware of the problem, but since it's such a big element in the fic I can't fix it without rewriting the whole thing.

Also, this fic uses my own image of Masato Indou, since it was written before G.U.+ gave us a canon representation of him. I hope this doesn't put anyone off. If you don't know who the heck I'm talking about don't worry, that's about to be revealed anyway.

Now that you are prepared to suspend your disbelief, enjoy!

Gathering of the Unwilling

"Is it all right if I write a check?"

Misaki Ryou twitched at the unexpected question. He had already rung up the customer's large purchase, and it would be a pain to cancel it, but… "I'm sorry, our store doesn't accept checks. Please understand, it's policy." His words were polite, but his voice reflected the boredom he was sinking into late into his afternoon shift.

"Ah, it's the only way for me to pay at the moment, but if you can't…"

Ryou glanced up to look the customer in the face, and was mildly surprised. Something about the features was familiar, though the man was dressed in a coat and hat that concealed much of his face. Feeling sympathetic, he made an offer that was stretching it a bit. "Well, I can ask the manager if he'll authorize it. I'd have to get him anyway to cancel the purchase."

"Thank you." Ryou nodded and paged the manager. Though he had been working at the grocery store for more than a year, because he was still young and "green" he had to have manager supervision for a number of actions. The older man hurried over to Ryou's lane in a practiced routine.

"Hey, this customer wants to pay with a check. He's got a pretty big purchase, so…" He glanced at the pile of bags filled with mostly bread and instant noodles. "Almost twelve thousand yen."

The manager frowned deeply before nodding. "All right, fine, as long as he's got I.D."

"Can I see your I.D., please?" Ryou asked in a monotone, turning to the customer.

The man looked concerned, but fished a government-issue I.D. out of a battered wallet. As the man filled out a check in hurried scrawl, Ryou studied the I.D. and the man's face.

"Tasogare Ryodan." That's a weird name… The kanji reminds me of…the Twilight Brigade…

Startled, Ryou looked from the card to the man several times before it sank in. He had seen that face on the news briefly after the Rebirth. Indou Masato—Ovan.

"You…" Ryou dropped the card from his shaking hands. "Tasogare" looked up, curious, and Ryou could see Ovan the PC in the faintly amused half-smile and the stoic glasses. Ovan, who had disappeared as a character and a person, who hadn't been around to witness Shino's awakening, who left them all wondering where he was and whether he was even alive. Who had tested Haseo to the breaking point in order to save The World and his sister, who herself didn't seem to know his current whereabouts. Who said drastic, shocking things and then slipped away before Haseo could recover and reply. Unable to speak as anger flooded him, Ryou leaned over the counter and punched Ovan across the face.

Several things happened at once: The customers waiting behind Indou screamed or jumped back in shock; the manager grabbed Ryou around the waist, bellowing at him, and dragging him back from the counter; Indou stood motionless with one hand to his struck cheek, still smiling faintly and only pissing Ryou off more. Ovan could smile through anything, despite all the pain he had caused with his schemes and misjudgments. The manager had a good grip on Ryou now, and turned him away from the till to hiss into his ear, "Take off your uniform, punch out, and never come back here again. Your last paycheck will be mailed to you," before shoving him in the direction of the back room.

Ryou could hear the manager calming the customers and finishing the transaction smoothly, assuring everyone the violent employee would not be serving there any longer. Well, there goes my job, Ryou thought bitterly, his ears ringing. His reaction had been pretty crazy, even he had to admit. But dammit, Ovan had made everyone worry so much, when he was fine all along…

The outside air was cool on his face as he stepped out of the building sans apron. Rounding the corner onto the main sidewalk, he was surprised to see Indou stalled by the door, arranging the countless bags so he could feasibly carry them. Ryou stopped as he passed to watch the older man struggle with them.

"So you're alive."

"I would assume so, by the looks of it," Indou grunted lightheartedly, hefting the last bag only to drop another. "Would you mind helping me get organized?"

"No, I think I'll let you do it yourself. So you can get stronger." Ryou leaned against the store window, watching Indou lazily.

"I suppose that's your prerogative. Though," he winced when he dropped another bag which crunched loudly, "I feel as though I'm actually getting weaker at the moment."

Ryou sighed at Indou's apparent denseness. "Ovan."

The man froze. "What?"

"Ovan. You know, from The World."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Indou muttered. He quickly gathered his purchases and began to walk awkwardly down the sidewalk. Ryou moved easily in front of him.

"I have a hard time believing that, since the name on your fake I.D. was oddly familiar. Remember that guild you created—and abandoned? Along with everyone who depended on you?" Ryou's voice dropped to a growl. He was getting angry again, and Ovan's denial wasn't helping.

Indou stopped momentarily to look Ryou up and down. "Who are you, and why are you asking me these questions?"

Ryou took a deep breath to keep from hitting the man again. "I'm Haseo, you moron."

---

Two other, smaller notes: In Japanese the Twilight Brigade is "Tasogare no Ryodan". Ovan probably uses some obscure reading of the kanji as his alias, since for names you can pretty much read the kanji however you like (Death Note's "Light", anyone?), but Haseo reflexively reads it as "Tasogare Ryodan". Secondly, 12,000 yen is close to $120, which is a lot of money to spend on bread and noodles…