Authors Note:
After so many days of waiting for more Accel World fanfics to be created only a few were created. I'm sick and tired of waiting for new fanfics to arrive so I came up with the decisions to create my own. Well I hope you'll like it, leave lots and lots of reviews and add this to your follow if not favorites. Sorry if I make some of the characters in Accel World OCC. Now get ready to have some Canons broken because her it goes *brings out Baseball bat of canon breaking*. Updates will vary from weeks to months.
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Accel World, I am merely a fan of it.
Haruyuki sighed as he slumped on the desk of his chair. Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear outside. There are even a couple of birds singing just outside the window of his classroom as the room buzzed with activity. It was the perfect day to be happy yet he was in sour mood today. Why? That's because of what happened earlier this beautiful Monday morning.
Haruyuki woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon being cooked. It's delicious smell invaded his nose while the sound of it being fried in oil assaulted his ears. Strange, his mother rarely cooks breakfast and the only times she cooks is when he is late. Realizing this he bolted upright as he frantically checked the clock of his Neuro Linker. It was 11 pm, Sunday.
He relaxed and let out a sigh of relief as he saw the time, then he went into deep thought. Who in the right mind would be cooking eggs and bacon (even if it's very delicious) at this ungodly hour? Could it be a burglar? No a burglar wouldn't cook right inside the house he/she is robbing. Could it be his mother? No, it's not even Monday or morning. So who would be cooking?
Aside from him and his mother the only other persons that could enter his apartment is Chiyu, Taku and her. Taku is definitely out of the question since right now he should be in America. Recently Umaseto Junior High started an exchange program with an American school. Taku was among the ten chosen by the school to go to the American school. Kuroyukihime was among the chosen but was lucky taken out of the chosen ten after a last second reconsideration of the school officials. She was replaced by a friend of her.
Then that leave's two, Chiyu and her. Chiyu would never cook eggs and bacon for him. She's too concerned for his health too ever cooks that particular dish. Chiyu really cares for his health. Asking Chiyu to cook that particular dish would be comparable to a death sentence. Nobody likes Chiyu when she's angry and he wouldn't want to be the one Chiyu is angry at. He would rather jump of this building right now than face her wrath.
That leaves her… No it's impossible. He had already rejected her offer multiple times, but as a fictional detective once said in TV. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He was sleepy, tired and a little irritated right now. Why of all the time in the world would she cook at 11pm? There must be a reason, there's always a reason. What could be the reason why she is here? Is not as if she's going to try and recruit him again. Hmmm… maybe there's something big that happening in Brain Burst and she needs help however if something big is happening in Brain Burst, Kuroyukihime would defiantly tell him all about it, right? Also Brain Burst is relatively calm right now with nothing much happening aside from the defeat of Dusk Taker just a few days ago and some spectacular and amazing fights here and there. Compared to other days in Brain Burst this particular week was relatively calm.
Well there's no better way of knowing the reason for an action than by asking the person herself. He sighed as he got out of his comfortable and warm bed and out to the cold and dark hallway of his apartment. He passed the door of the room of his mother and saw her sleeping tightly. So it was not really his mother that was cooking. Half of him agreed that his mother was cooking but now that half is silent and nervous now. He saw the light coming out of the door of the kitchen. Well it was now or never.
He peered inside the kitchen and saw her cooking. She was on her cute cooking outfit that goes great with her hair. Yawning he asked "Niko… what are you doing here at this hour?"
She turned and what Haru saw made him cringed in fear for his life. She was pissed, really pissed. Her glare made him want to go in a corner and cry. What made it even worse was she had a smile that screams 'You're going to die… painfully'. He let out a whimper as he took a step back.
She said in a deceptively sweet and innocent voice "Ah Haru you're just in time!"
Every instinct in his body shouted for him to run or die horribly however he was frozen in fear. She said gesturing at the table using the frying pan where she was cooking "Sit".
Haru in fear immediately ran to the table and sat down. He was shaking all over as Niko continued cooking. She hummed as she cooked and it was creepy. The tone of the hum was creepy and the way she smiled was creepy. Haru whimpering shrank in his chair.
After what seemed like an eternity Niko finally finished cooking. She put the content of her frying pan into two separate plate, one for her and one for him. She placed his plate in front of him and then she placed her plate in front of a chair just across the table from his and sat down on that chair. She began to eat rather painfully slow while still humming creepily.
Haru stared at the plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. He couldn't bring himself to eat as he was still trying to calm himself and comprehend what was happening. Silence reigned as Niko ate her share of the food. The silence between the two grew to such an unbearable level that it overcame Haru's fear.
He asked "Say… Niko… can you tell me why you're here?"
Niko stopped eating. For a moment everything was calm and silent then she banged her fist on the table. Her forced happy expression went away and no revealed the emotions underneath. She was now visibly angry. Her face contorted by her frown. She stared at him, its intensity never wavered. What he saw in her eyes was anger, a lot of anger and... fear. The fear… It was small, hidden, and suppressed but it was there and one cannot deny it.
Haru waited just a bit longer. Perhaps it was a sensitive subject... or something difficult to admit. Either way, he didn't want to provoke her further. As small as the girl was, she could deliver a powerful blow if she saw it necessary. Still, the mystery of her silence drew him in... What was it?
He asked "N-Niko... Is this-"
"I NEED YOU TO KILL SOMEONE IN BRAIN BURST!" she cried finally, "I DON'T CARE HOW DIRTY OR COWARDLY IT IS, BUT I WAN'T HIM OR HER DEAD! GONE! UNDERSTAND!? I WANT THAT PERSON GONE PERMANENTLY! "
Haru cringed at the tone of her voice. Her anger made her shake and she was beyond reason now. He said "Niko… calm down… it's alright". He wished he never said that as Niko glared at him. Her glare bored into his very soul.
"Alright… alright!... ALRIGHT!?" She asked as she began to breathe heavily. It was difficult to tell if it was exhaustion or pure emotion... perhaps both. She continued almost shouting. "YOU'RE TELLING ME IT'S ALRIGHT THAT SOME RANDOM PUNK SUDDENLY APPEARED AND STARTED TO RIP MY GUILD TO PIECES JUST BY HIS OR HER PRESENCE! TELL ME THAT!"
Haru didn't answer. He sat back in his chair, terrified of her anger and too tired for his brain to come up with a proper response. Still, she stood there, breathing heavily, as if waiting for an answer. He tried to come up with one. "N-N-Niko... I h-had no idea th-that... Huh?" He stopped as he noticed something uncharacteristic about Yuniko's expression. There was a substance glistening in her eyes that wasn't there before... Her face crumpled slightly, fighting back emotion... Was she, Scarlet Rain, the Red King... crying?
Yuniko fought back these tears as she went on, her voice wavering with a tone that tugged on Haru's heart. "Do you think its easy for me to see my legion, after working my ass… after the senior member's left them all to die, thru my blood, sweat, toils and tears restored it to it once was… the people of my legion…" Her voice choked off momentarily. Haru waited for her to continue. "...the one that I have helped are beginning to plot against me? To hand over the result of my work to another? Almost every single one last of them! Tell me!" She hiccuped quietly, gripping the table cloth and looking down, almost as if she was afraid to make herself vulnerable in front of him. "Tell me…" She sat back down, her white-knuckle grip remaining on the cloth. Her breathing was now irregular and upset as she finally lost her fight to her own emotions. The anger that masked her pain broke. She crossed her arms and laid her head on the table, sobbing heavily as the scenes of the bloody fight played over and over in her head... they were her men... the people she had served and they attacked her.
Haru couldn't say a word. He was too shocked to answer back. Each moment he watched her, he felt like his heart was being torn to pieces. It was gut wrenching to see her so broken, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. The sight of Yuniko… the second Red King, Scarlet Rain, crying was once filed under impossible in his mind. This couldn't be real… even though it was happening right in front of him. The Red King he knew would never cry even at the moment when she did Judgment Blow on her own parent. Slowly, he arose from his seat, standing next to her. Gently, he put his hand on her back, stroking her slowly along her spine.
Yuniko cringed at his touch, as if his gentle hands were made of hot iron. No, what was worse was his compassionate gaze. She didn't want his pity! It burned her up that she couldn't control herself, and now, he was pitying her! She moved away slightly. "Don't look at me!"
Haru cringed again, though more from sympathy for her hurt than for fear of her wrath. He couldn't stand it anymore... Whoever had done this had to pay. He asked her in a serious yet soft tone, "Who is he... Who did this to you?"
Niko struggled to calm the flow of tears. She picked up her head and ran her sleeve across her now puffy, red eyes. "Red… Red Ranger… level…" She paused for a minute sniffling then said with a squeak "9" as she broke down crying again, her head going back to her folded arms on the table.
Haru froze at her words. A Pure Color… the same as the previous Red King, Red Rider and a level 9. The name of the particular burst linker was laughable as it is similar to the Power Rangers but considering he or she is a pure colour it was no joke. It was serious. Now he understood why Prominence was ripping itself apart. It's the only legion among the six major legions that doesn't have a pure colored king.
They want a pure color as their king and the sudden appearance of this 'Red Ranger' provided them the opportunity. The appearance of a Pure Color at high level raises many question. Who was this mysterious Burst Linker? How did he escape the radar of the Burst Linkers? Surely such a badnit would have been filling the gossip rings of Brain Burst in the Unlimited Field for months if not years. More importantly how did this one in particular made it to level 9 without anyone even noticing? Could he have gone into a non-stop killing spree? No… it's impossible. If one did that they surely would draw the attention of the kings. This doesn't make any sense. Who is this Burst Linker? Haru was mentally tearing his own hair out at these questions now. Would answers even help him beat Ranger?
Haru was brought out of his thoughts as he noticed the sound of Niko crying again. She let him rub her back as he took a seat next to her, saying nothing as she wept. Not once had he ever thought that she could be so open. Perhaps... Did she really trust him that much, to come to him with such a problem, to open up her hear to him in such a way? It seemed so...
After a while, Haru realized she had cried herself to sleep right there at the table. He shook his head as he carefully lifted her into his arms. Even though she was the Red King, even if she was one of the most ruthless and most terrifying burst linkers around, even if she had spent countless hours inside Brain Burst, Inside her heart she was just a little kid. Though she would never admit it... She was only a child, with real feelings and a broken heart.
Haru went into her room and placed her in his bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She looked so peaceful and innocent that way... He turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway. He remembered when they first met... how she tried to pass off as his younger cousin of sorts. For a moment, it actually felt like he was taking care of his little sister. Her chest rose and fell slowly as her eyelids fluttered slightly for a brief moment in her sleep. No one would have guessed she was such a valiant warrior if they saw her like this now.
He went to the couch in the living room and laid on it, using the arm as a pillow and taking the thin blanket from the back of it. He sighed quietly. Could he really fulfill this task for her? After she had come to him and made herself so vulnerable like that... he at least had to give it his best. He rested his eyes. Slowly, in the silence of the living room, he drifted off into a deep sleep.
...Only to be up a few hours later to the sound of the alarm of his Neuro Linker, blaring loudly in his ears. He groaned as he sat up from the couch. His right arm was numb while his neck was stiff. He stretched out his back, which was also sore from sleeping on the stiff cushions. On top of that, he would have to go to school with his brain functioning on only a few hours of sleep. Added, of course, to the sore stiffness all over his body. Could this get even worse for him?
Apparently yes. He saw a mail blinking in his Neuro Linker. He clicked on it. It was from Kuroyukihime. He raised an eyebrow as he opened the mail. 'I'm sick. having a terrible fever. Can't concentrate properly. World is spinning. Having trouble even standing or type. Can't attend school.' Haru sighed. Now Kuroyukihime was sick. He sent her a mail about a new level 9 burst linker in town. Just after a few minutes a reply came saying 'Don't attack. going to talk to rain first'
He sighed as he went to the kitchen to cook. He passed his room and saw that Niko wasn't there anymore. He was still very sleepy and was groggily walking towards the kitchen. As he entered the kitchen he saw the plates of half eaten eggs and bacon of Niko and his relatively untouched plate. He picked both up and microwaved them both. He placed the plate of bacon that was supposed to be for him in the center of the table for his mother while he ate the remainder of the eggs and bacon of Niko. It wasn't that much but it wasn't too little either. It was enough to satisfy his hunger.
After a quick bath, changing to uniform and some trouble putting on his shoes he was ready to go. As he went out of the door he passed his mother's room. He said to her "Mom I'm going to school. Breakfast is on the table". His mother replied with a groan and gave him his usual allowance for the day.
The morning went with the usual routine except for Kuroyukihime and Taku not greeting him in the morning. He accompanied a less cheerful but still energetic Chiyu too school. He didn't want to make Chiyu worry at the appearance of a new extremely powerful burst linker so he didn't tell him about it. They went their separate ways and went to their rooms.
Well that was Haru's morning. He looked around the room still slumping in his chair and saw his classmate's moving around restlessly like bees in a hive. Well his class was chosen to be the class one exchange student by the name of 'Emelia Jones' for the duration of the exchange students stay and this was the day they'll meet the exchange students.
The day their homeroom teacher told them about the exchange student his classmates never stopped talking about it. There were discussions each and every single day before the homeroom. The only information their home room teacher gave them was that the name of the exchange student and that raised many question. The vagueness of the information was unprecedented. With just the name alone the whole class was discussing whether the 'Emelia Jones' is a girl or a boy. His classmates disagree on whether the first name was Emilia or Jones since both can be first names. Why does Americans had to have a different naming pattern from Japan?
The discussion range from how 'Emelia Jones' look to what would be his/her personality like. There were optimist, pessimist, ultra-nationalist, feminist, and many more type of classmates he have discussing both negative and positive things about the exchange student. Why don't they just shut up? He was still sleepy and trying to take a nap but all the noise his class mates were creating prevented him from even closing his eyes.
He sighed as he let them be. Shouting wouldn't do him any good anyways so he just stayed quite. Finally the homeroom teacher arrived. Our homeroom teacher looked like a typical middle aged Japanese woman with brown hair tied in a bun and light brown eyes that were quite young despite her age. She was small in stature at 5'1 ft and was petite in her figure. Everyone in the room went back to their sit and stayed quite. Well this was it, they were now going to know who 'Emilia Jones' really was and their entire question that they have would finally be answered.
We greeted our homeroom with a good morning. Our Homeroom teacher smiled as she said "Ok everyone today we are going to meet your new classmates". She turned to the door and said "Ok Miss Jones you may come in now".
BOOM! CLIFFHANGER MHUHAHAHAHA!. Ah the ever so evil cliff-hanger we all hate and love. Well this is the end of this particular chapter and I hope you like it. Thank you oXBlackCatXo for helping me correct my wrongs in this particular chapter and editing the scene of Niko's emotional breakdown. Well guys see you in a couple of days, weeks or months *sips tea*