La Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA) nasce a Roma nel 1996 nell’ambito della Atlantic Treaty Association, di cui costituisce la sezione giovanile. Oggi la YATA si estende dall’America del Nord fino alla Russia ed ai Paesi del Caucaso, comprendendo 38 filiali nazionali (una per ciascun Paese membro della NATO più varie altre di Paesi che attendono/aspirano all’adesione, con l’eccezione della Russia). Ne risulta ciò che i suoi Presidenti degli anni trascorsi definiscono “one of the strongest and most influential youth NGO networks in the world”.
I membri della YATA hanno organizzato svariati eventi a carattere sia nazionale che internazionale, sui temi della sicurezza e della cooperazione transatlantica, al fine di creare un quadro al cui interno studenti, giovani professionisti e ricercatori possano scambiare le proprie idee e dar vita ad una “genuina” comunità transatlantica, con la possibilità di dialogare direttamente con i decisori di livello mondiale, “including George W. Bush”. E perbacco!
Uno dei più importanti obiettivi futuri della YATA è la creazione di forti filiali nazionali in Asia Centrale e nella regione del Mar Nero, il che – poco casualmente – si trova in sintonia con la più generale politica di espansione verso est fino al cuore dell’Eurasia della organizzazione madre. A tal fine il reperimento di nuovi sostenitori finanziari appare assolutamente fondamentale.
Come detto, la YATA nasce nel 1996 come sbocco naturale di tutte le iniziative organizzate dai gruppi giovanili attivi all’interno di quasi tutti i circoli nazionali atlantici facenti capo alla Atlantic Treaty Association. Sotto questo aspetto, la filiale danese ha rivestito un ruolo di pioniere, organizzando fin dal 1985 il cosiddetto DAYS (acronimo di Danish Atlantic Youth Seminar), le cui tematiche riguardano sempre questioni legate ai conflitti internazionali ed alla gestione delle crisi derivanti. Sede del seminario, che quest’anno giunge alla sua 23° edizione, è la base aerea NATO di Aalborg…
Fra le “many exciting activities at national and international level around Europe and North America” organizzate nell’anno trascorso, citiamo:
 Aliante 2007, gara studentesca sulle tematiche della cooperazione euro-atlantica, le cui finali si sono svolte alla base militare di Rheindahlen, in Germania. Premio in palio un viaggio di due settimane… negli Stati Uniti;
 Norsec 2007, l’annuale Nordic Regional Security Conference dedicata alla discussione delle questioni legate alla sicurezza a livello regionale. In questa edizione, tenutasi a Tartu in Estonia, si sono incontrati 50 giovani fra i venti ed i trent’anni, con acclarate doti dirigenziali, già coinvolti nei processi decisionali dei rispettivi Paesi (scandinavi e baltici) di provenienza;
 Simotan 2007, organizzato a Lisbona dal Comitato Atlantico Portoghese e dalla Facoltà di Scienze Sociali e Politiche della locale Università Tecnica, ha messo in scena – come ogni anno - la simulazione di una sessione straordinaria del Consiglio NATO in risposta all’emergere di una crisi internazionale;
 la 6° Conferenza Internazionale di Sipan, in Croazia, riservata a giovani “leaders” provenienti in particolar modo dall’Europa Sud-orientale che hanno discusso tematiche di cooperazione regionale e del processo di allargamento della NATO;
 infine, per concludere in bellezza, il NATO DAY Ostrava, durante il quale ad un pubblico di 55.000 visitatori sono stati mostrati i mezzi che la Repubblica Ceca ed i suoi alleati hanno a disposizione per garantire la sicurezza: il programma prevedeva, tra le altre cose, esibizioni di attrezzature militari e di tecnologie di polizia e salvataggio, nonché la possibilità di assistere all’addestramento delle unità speciali e toccare con mano i diversi tipi di equipaggiamento utilizzati.
Voi, quel giorno, dove eravate?

'.hack//G.U.'
"Waltzing Steps" by Aina Kirisaki and Ryuuzaki Kusakurin

DISCLAIMER: .hack//G.U. doesn't belong to either of us, as there would most likely be another sequel to the games if it did.

Warnings: WAFF, fluff, homokisses!, yaoi
Characters: Endrance, Haseo, Silabus, Kuhn, Pi, Yata, Atoli, Shino, Gaspard, Zelkova, Kaede, Tabby, Piros the 3rd, Bordeaux, Natsume, Azure Kite, Azure Balmung, Azure Orca, Sakisaka
Theme Songs: Victory Party [Chikayo Fukuda], Albireo [T.M. Revolution], Rain One [Cirque du Soleil]
Pairings: Haseo x Endrance, implied Kuhn x Silabus

Written as a trade for steeple333. XD Thank you for your wonderfully adorable artwork!

Don't steal the story without permission! I mean, I don't know why you would want to take it... but whatever... *shrug*

They were finally married online, so they didn't have to hide their relationship anymore, and that was all well and good, but...

"I have to dance?" Haseo squawked, looking very much like an upset animal of some sort. "No way!"

"Please, Haseo," Endrance murmured, looking a bit crestfallen at his 'husband's' abject refusal.

"I... no!" Taking off in the opposite direction of his 'bride', the Rogue managed to run into no less than five people: Kuhn [who shouted 'whoa!' and got out of the way], Zelkova [who laughed a little at Haseo's haste to get away from the possible threat of dancing], Shino and Tabby [who moved out of the way], Bordeaux [who cursed at him before flicking him off and ignoring him], and Atoli [who followed him]. "I can't believe that... he wanted to dance with me..."

"You were going to dance?" A blonde-haired head appeared in his peripheral vision, startling him enough to make him turn towards the owner of said hair. Atoli shuffled back and forth, looking aat the ground nervously. "Do you know how?"

"Is it that obvious?" He was totally mortified; it was his wedding, after all. "I... I didn't want to upset Endrance or anything, but... I just don't know how," he admitted, hanging his head and looking out from the balcony, watching the graceful waves as they lapped against the stone island of Hy Brasail.

"Not really," the Harvest Cleric admitted. "I just... I'm happy for you, Haseo," she finally whispered. "I'm glad that you found someone who you like, even if he is a guy and it's Endrance and..." she smiiled sadly, turning her head to look at Haseo.

"Thanks, Atoli," he replied sincerely, tempted to bang his head on a wall. "We're still going to adventure together and everything - you're probably my best friend here, now. Ever since Shino went into a coma, I guess I kind of started seeing her as a memory. You were there the whole time for me, and I don't know why anyone would have ever thought badly of you." There. If she managed to take offense to that, he might just shoot someone.

"It's funny, but you and Endrance are a lot alike." Haseo's eyes widened as he watched the smaller girl speak, the sunlight painting her face beautifully. "You both try to say things - you more than him - but you're not very good at it, are you?"

"Huh? What does that mean?" he demanded, watching her a little more closely.

"I mean, you both really liked each other for a while, right?" When he nodded, slightly confused, she continued, "neither of you really admitted it. Everyone thought that Endrance was just doing that to repay you, but he was definately more obvious about it than you!" She grinned at the thought. "It took Cubia and then getting stuck in the Forest of Pain for you guys to finally figure the other out!" She reached her arms out and hugged him gently.

"Haseo?" A gentle, effeminate voice reached their ears and Haseo looked back at the blue-haired man. Endrance looked a little lost, and quite lonely standing there all alone. He shuffled forward uneasily. "I'm sorry if I... made you angry..." He really was lost amidst all this frippery without his 'other half', Atoli mused, giving the Rogue a gentle shove towards his beloved.

"I... don'tknowhowtodance," he mumbled as he walked forward, running the words together in his embarassment.

"I'll teach you! I... I've always thought about dancing with you..." Extending his arms to take his new 'husband' by the waist and hand, he gently led Haseo to do the same before murmuring the steps into his ear. "Your left foot goes here... and then you step here... and now, here..." He drew near to the shorter boy and rested his chin on Haseo's silvery hair. Sighing contentedly, the Rogue in turn began to uneasily take the lead in the waltz.

"Endrance?" The former emperor moved so that he was looking Haseo in the eyes, and the Rogue stumbled over the words slightly before actually asking his question. "Do you... I mean, do you really, you know, love me?" He blushed deeply, struck with the desire to hide his blush, but continued to stare determinedly into Endrance's violet eyes.

"Of course I love you, Haseo... I would die for you, if the situation demanded that one of us did..." Endrance closed his eyes and planted a gentle kiss on Haseo's forehead when the younger took a misstep and his face heated again.

"Do you love me in real life, too?" he asked, amazed at the kind of dedication he was recieving. When the man laughed shyly and nodded, he knew it was true. "Thanks, Endrance," he said, smiling.

"Shall we go...?" Offering his arm to Haseo, the white-robed man led him onto the red carpet at the centre of the celebration, beginning to dance with his new 'husband' [online, at least]. He would whisper corrections to Haseo when he would step in the wrong place, but other than that, the entire function went smoothly.

Several others joined the dance floor later on, after 'ooh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' at the new couple. The most notable pairs were Natsume and Piros, Kuhn and Silabus [who were later found holding hands outside of the dance], Zelkova and Kaede, Pi and Yata, Tabby and Sakisaka, and even the Azure Knights, who awkwardly attempted to dance, although it mostly ended up looking generally hilarious. Haseo had even made Endrance dance with Saku [much to her delight].

As the dancing had died down and the formalities became old and spent, the cake was cut by the happy couple, who made sure that Bo got the biggest piece. They eventually wandered away, interest in the celebration waning, and left for the balcony once again to talk.

"So you really meant it, huh?" Haseo hopped onto the elegant balcony and watched his beloved's reaction to his statement.

"Of course, Haseo..."

"Ryou," he replied with a grin. "It's Ryou." Endrance took a moment to process this information before giving out his own name.

"And I am Kaoru... Nice to meet you, Ryou," he offered with a small smile. "And... I hope that we can remain like this... forever." The use of the last word startled Ryou a bit, but he was used to it - the man really did have a flair for the romantic.

"I love you, too," he replied, pulling the man into a kiss.

'.hack//G.U.'
"Infected" by Ryuuzaki Kusakurin

DISCLAIMER: I think I've written disclaimers enough to safely say that I own nothing. *sigh*

Warnings: Language, yaoi,
Characters: Haseo [Misaki Ryou], Endrance [Ichinose Kaoru], Kuhn [Kasumi Tomonari], Atoli [Kusaka Chigusa], Pi [Saeki Reiko], Yata [Hino Takumi], Sakaki [Tooru Uike], Sakubo [Nakanishi Iori], Azure Kite, Azure Orca, Azure Balmung, Skeith, Taihaku.
Theme Songs: Alberio [T.M. Revolution], White Breath [T.M. Revolution], Vestige [T.M. Revolution], High Pressure [T.M. Revolution], Take a Little Hand [Gabriela Robin], Fragile [T.M. Revolution]
Pairings: Haseo x Endrance, Kaoru x Ryou

This fic is brought to you courtesy of math class and inattentive substitute teachers of America. <3

This'll probably be posted on my LiveJournal, although it'll be higher-rated, but who knows... *shrug*

Among other things, he loved the raw energy of battle. It was enthralling, and if one was in a rainy field, the programme would lag just enough for one to see the raindrops as they fell to the ground from the darkened sky. It was something he never grew tired of, but right now, it wasn't what he wanted to see or hear.  

Ryou had thrown him out with nary a second glance, probably tired of seeing Kaoru constantly glued to the computer. So here he was, four days later, absently tracing patterns in the water around the glowing tree in Indieglut Lugh. He was tempted to drift to the bottom of the lake once again, as he had when he had lost the thing he had called ‘Mia', but... 

It was something Endrance would do. It wasn't necessarily something Kaoru would do. Once, his game persona and his own personality were inseparable, but then Ryou had changed things for him... Ryou had let him experience the world as well as he could in the few minutes he was off the computer.   

"I don't want... I don't want to be alone again..." Saku wasn't even here, and had she been, he would have gladly taken her company. If it had been Bo, he probably would have used the boy as an object to hug. If it had been AIDA... He sighed dramatically, not even having to think about it. He knew that if AIDA was to appear in front of him, he would accept it with no complaints whatsoever, just to be rid of this terrible loneliness.

Almost predictably, someone warped in as soon as the thought had finished itself. Endrance didn't even bother to turn; what did he care? He wasn't even able to fool himself - the only character he wanted to see was Haseo. 

"And what would an Epitaph User be doing out here? Without his precious Haseo, no less?" Sakaki. Endrance inwardly shuddered just thinking about the man; his time spent around Ryou had made him more emotional, it seemed. He refused to answer, although that didn't stop him from cursing at the man mentally. "Not talking, hm?" Sakaki was right behind him, and with a smile that fit his AIDA-possessed character, he kept speaking. "You look... lonely, perhaps. Shall I offer you a cure?" As if on cue, black bubbles made their first appearance. "Relax. If you pledge yourself to my cause... you will not need to lose your mind. You could be like me, strong enough to challenge the Terror of Death itself!" 

"I do not understand your motivation for this," he murmured, still tracing patterns in the mercurial waters of the Lost Ground. "You could have infected me... from your throne..." 

"Perhaps," the former Moon Tree guardian replied, appearing to consider it. Even with this new appearance, his cunning mind was still sharp as ever. "I will even allow you to take the ‘Terror of Death' down, if you join me." Endrance tilted his head, actually considering the offer. He had no reason to exist, now that Haseo had chosen to live without him. It... it actually hurt him physically, and he didn't know it, but tears were streaming down his face.  

"Very well... I will join you... on that condition," he replied, closing his eyes and waiting as the bubbles of the virus neared his PC. 

"Excellent! We can control this world together, you and I! With you as the sword, Haseo and his precious avatar will fall before us!" Smiling before more or less planting the virus in the former emperor, Sakaki pictured the priceless look on Haseo's face as he realised that a former ally was the one to take him down. 

-----.hack//G.U.-----

His armour had become black where it had once been Mia's favourite shade of purple, and red where it had been gold. The long, skirt-like garment that his PC wore had become black as well, and where his left hand had formerly been was a black claw, almost identical to what Sakaki's hand was now. Almost as an added bonus, the cat-creature that he had called ‘Mia' not too long ago had reappeared on his shoulder. Even though he knew it was AIDA, it brought him some amount of comfort where he had thought he would never again feel it... It fit what he was going to do, either way - he was going to take the green-haired PC down with him. The whispers of a nearby Epitaph startled him; the AIDA that was now embedded in his PC was telling him that Magus was near. He chose to ignore it. Kuhn wouldn't look here; he was most likely heading towards the Tri-Edge symbol that led to his favourite area, the Lost Ground. His suspicions were correct; the Steam Gunner passed without a second glance. He was about to sigh in relief when he saw Haseo chasing after him, disentangling his foot from a weak monster and kicking it away, which spared him the trouble of having to actually fight it. 

"Pi said there was a pretty strong AIDA signal here, too..." Haseo looked worried. Endrance steeled himself for what was to come, trying to suppress the emotions raging within him instead of letting AIDA take control. ‘Mia' meowed quietly, and he reached a gloved hand up, stroking her head. She wanted to fight, as she was an entity created solely from the virus, but for now, he was the one in control. He was only using AIDA as a means to an end. Never again would it overtake him. 

"Magus says there's something strange around here," Kuhn offered, pointing over in the direction of Endrance, although he didn't know it. "Let's check it out." 

"Have fun. Last time ‘Magus sensed something weird', it was actually you sensing a pretty girl," Haseo complained loudly. Kaoru shook his head and his PC mimicked the action. It really was just like Kuhn to say something like that just to find more potential girlfriends.  

"No, seriously. I'm heading that way." And what's the use...? They're going to find out at the next G.U. meeting... Tugging his flowered hat off of his PC's head, he carelessly threw it off the ledge of the small cliff he was on, half-hoping Haseo would see it and leave him alone. Not only that, of course; if he was going to change something, it was going to start with the flowers that reminded him of the true Mia. She wasn't actually here, and he didn't want to dishonour her memory like this. 

"Hey, Kuhn? Wait up a second," Haseo called, spotting the black hat and jogging over to it. "Is this Endrance's...?" Taking in the colour change with wide eyes, he looked up at the cliff where it had probably come from just in time to see a flash of blue hair. "Come on, Kuhn! Endrance! Wait up!" He didn't realise that his fellow Epitaph User was walking down to meet them, if nothing else. Only moments later when they made their way to the top of the plateau, he saw Endrance's right side, not able to see ‘Mia' or his infected arm - all he saw was the colour change. 

"So, what's with the colour? Never knew you were into black," Kuhn joked. 

"Oh, it's nothing... I just felt like... a change..." He tipped his head back and let the false breeze blow through it as he turned, revealing the monster he had truly become. 

"Endrance... you..." Haseo fell to his knees as he gaped at what Kaoru had turned his PC into. Red-veined skin of black had taken over his entire left arm and leg, and there were tendrils that had crept up and onto his neck. 

"Stay there," Kuhn warned his partner. "Endrance, you don't know what you're doing!" 

"Oh, I know perfectly well what I'm doing," he replied coolly, the falsetto dropping enough to be passable as his normal voice. "And you're not going to get in the way..."

"Endrance! Please..." Haseo was begging now, which made Kaoru want to curl inward and cry. He had never wanted this... but he had to do it, now that he'd infected himself and chosen his own path. Ryou no longer needed or wanted him, and so he had no purpose other than what he decided on doing for himself.

"I made up my mind... Haseo. I will follow my own feelings... I'm sorry..." Closing his eyes, he wrapped his arms around himself and called upon Macha. "Macha!"

I'm here, she murmured in his mind, adrift in the strange realm that was uniquely her own.

"Don't hurt them... Especially Haseo..."

I understand. You're holding it back this time, aren't you?

"Yes," he replied, knowing that she was speaking of AIDA. "I will not succumb... until my debt to Haseo has been repaid."

Very well, the Temptress told him. If that is your resolve, then it shall be mine as well. Calling forth rose petals, the purple Avatar prepared to attack. No malicious intent was in it, although she could feel the acute pangs of pain and sorrow behind her user's facade of resolve.

"Come on, come on... I'm... right... here! SKEIIIIIIITH!" The Terror of Death came into existence at his cry, forcibly breaking into the strange realm. Unbeknownst to the players, the avatars were speaking with one another.

Good day, Temptress, Skeith offered.

And to you, Terror of Death, she replied with the barest hint of a smirk in her voice.

I thought that you'd have been taken over by now, like it was last time we fought, Skeith snorted, floating quite calmly.

He is holding it back, Macha murmured, longing in her voice as she gestured to Endrance. It will come at great cost to the both of us. He plans to sacrifice himself to rid our world of the contamination that we used to be controlled by.

Interesting. It looks like those two mean to fight, though.

They will not be able to purge any of the virus from us though. The only way to do so would be to attack the AIDA within him instead. Macha shook her cat-like head gently as she 'spoke' to Skeith.

And below them, a battle of the words was already raging.

-----.hack//G.U.-----

"How could you have... I thought... I thought that I meant something to you!"

"You no longer needed me..." he whispered, thoroughly uncomfortable with the discussion. "You said you didn't want to see me again, Ryou."

"I was just angry! I didn't mean for it to end up permanently!" Haseo kept protesting, but was silenced by the sound of a few footsteps as they came toward him.

"Do you... do you mean that, Ryou?" Another step towards him. "Do you honestly mean that... or is it because of what I chose?" Another step, and another, and another... He finally stood before the Rogue.

"Why did you do this to yourself, Kaoru?" the teenager begged, gently running a hand over the blackened skin, feeling the pulsating red veins beneath it. "I can feel," he breathed in wonder, blinking back tears.

"It's this place... the influence of the avatars... I don't understand much, but this is real..." He shuddered when the PC touched the place where the AIDA fringed off and met his regular skin. Jerking away, he watched 'Haseo' warily.

"I asked you a question," the boy replied, his eyes piercing. "Answer me, Kaoru! Why?!"

"I did it... to help you," he offered gently. "I have enough strength... to destroy Sakaki now." Haseo stared at him wide-eyed for a few seconds, and Kaoru let himself relax before the coming storm. The teen took a deep breath, and he inwardly winced, preparing for the angry shouts.

"Damn you!" At least he wasn't really being mean... "Damn you, Kaoru! You didn't even think about yourself, did you?" It was only a second later that Ryou's voice cracked and he stumbled towards Endrance. "You're going to end up as a Lost One... like Alkaid... like Shino..." He fell to the invisible ground of the realm, crying. "But... we won't be able to bring you back. You're not invincible, Kaoru... Don't you get it?" He weakly posed the question, and when he recieved no response, he stood up, wiping tears from his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "Don't you GET it?!" Slumping forward, into Endrance's waiting arms, he sobbed.

"Yes... I understood what I was doing when I did this... Ryou, look at me," he gently demanded. "My feelings... they haven't changed," he whispered into Haseo's silver hair. "I think... that this is what love is," he murmured. "I don't have long left... and if I stop playing, Sakaki will just find another to replace me. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," he muttered fuzzily. "You'd better come talk to me later though. We've got a lot to say to each other."

"I agree," the blue-haired PC replied, holding Haseo firmly against his blackened armour. "When you wake up..." He leaned close and whispered in his ear from then on. "When you wake up, may I come over?"

"Of course, you idiot," he murmured, grateful for the forgiveness in his boyfriend's voice. "Wait... when I wake up?"

"Sakaki's watching this," he hissed cautiously. "I have to do something... or else he will suspect." Pulling away quickly, he raised his fist, which signalled Macha's attack. Haseo would have blocked, but he trusted Kaoru... and he was glad that he did.

-----.hack//G.U.-----

Haseo and Endrance appeared out of nowhere, glowing with the power of their avatars. Kuhn expected Endrance to keel over, given how strong Haseo was -

Haseo hit the ground and fell with a moan of pain.

"What did you do to him?" Kuhn demanded. His avatar couldn't sense any AIDA in the lifeless form, so that meant... "He's not a Lost One, is he?! You... bastard!"

"I had no intention... of putting him in a coma," Endrance replied. "He will awaken soon enough..." Warping out, the former emperor logged out as soon as his feet hit the ground of Lumina Cloth.

'.hack//G.U.'
"Wild Child" by Aina Kirisaki

DISCLAIMER: .hack belongs to Bandai Namco.

Warnings: Language, slight spoilers, WAFF, etc.
Characters: Haseo, Alkaid [Chika Kuramoto], Endrance, Atoli, Shino, Antares, Azure Kite, Silabus, Gaspard, Kuhn, Pi, Sakubo, Ovan, Yata, Zelkova, Kaede, Piros the Third, Matsu, Bordeaux
Theme Songs: Gentle Hands [Chikayo Fukuda], Best Love [Chikayo Fukuda], BREAK OF DAWN [Do As Infinity], Rakuen [Do As Infinity], 俺たち！グランティ！！[Chikayo Fukuda]
Pairings: Haseo x Alkaid

This is a rework of the wedding scene from the end of Volume 3 - this is my first fic, so please give reviews on what I can do to improve!

This was written for VoidKitsune; she requested it in the boredom that is math class.

"Hey, Haseo!" The rough, boyish voice made the famous PKK turn around from where he was standing, talking to Atoli and Bordeaux.

"Alkaid!" Haseo waved to the famous German-Japanese PKer as she quickly excused herself from the situation, and then turned back to Alkaid.

"We were actually talking about you," Atoli offered with a polite smile. "We were wondering when you would come back to 'The World'."

"I'm alright now," Alkaid replied with a smile. "Thanks, Atoli. Anyway, if you'll excuse us..." Grabbing Haseo by the arm, she dragged him off and entered a few Area Words before Atoli could say anything.

-----.hack//G.U.-----

"What's wrong, Alkaid?" He remembered her incredibly competitive nature as well as her uncanny ability to pull him away from Atoli - her intentions were usually pretty clear. Not only was she Endrance and Atoli's biggest competitor for Haseo's love, but she was also the only one forward enough to act on it. Her tomboyish face set in a determined visage, Alkaid crossed her arms and turned to stare at Haseo.

"How are you and your girlfriend from Moon Tree doing?"

"Moon Tree's basically gone; after you..." He paused, unsure of how to convey the meaning of his words without sounding like a complete idiot or an insensitive PC. "After you went into a coma, Sakaki turned Moon Tree's home into an AIDA server." Pausing to fully digest the former Emperor's words, he blushed and began to protest. "And she's not my girlfriend! I don't like her that way-"

"So you're still available," she replied with a grin. "Good."

"Wait, what?!" Haseo understood exactly where the fiery redhead was going with this, and while Alkaid was a more attractive option than Atoli and certainly Endrance, he wasn't sure where he stood on the whole matter.

"C'mon! We can talk at the Beast Temple, okay?" She all but ran off at that, forcing Haseo to follow in her footsteps. "Haseo, you slowpoke! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming already," he shouted back, snorting when Alkaid started running backwards and more or less rammed into an angry Gaze Knight. Summoning his broadsword, Haseo leapt into the battle right after her.

-----.hack//G.U.-----

"Alkaid." The girl in question turned after kicking open the treasure in front of the Beast Statue. "What did you want to talk about?"

"No-nothing in particular," she stammered, her normally aggressive facade fading to reveal an unsure expression. A faint blush coloured her fair cheeks as she contemplated what to say next. As she kicked dust around with her foot, she gave up and decided on another approach entirely - she kissed him.

Haseo's eyes opened wide as a pair of warm lips landed on his own and a smaller body practically threw itself into him. As he was about to ask her what had brought that on, Alkaid suddenly disentangled herself from him and ran off, towards the Chaos Gate.

"If - if you tell anyone, I'll PK you," she muttered before warping out, leaving a very awkward Haseo, who raised his hand to touch his lips where she had planted a kiss only instants before. Absently warping back to Breg Epona, the famous PKK logged out and began to type an email before deciding on a greeting card instead.

-----.hack//G.U.-----

"Mail from Sakura, chain mail, chain mail, fan mail, mail from Haseo..." Alkaid stopped in the middle there as she read the email from Haseo, which was followed by a greeting card. His letter was oddly kind; from her recollection, Haseo didn't really show much emotion besides righteous anger and annoyance.

Alkaid,

I didn't relaly know you felt that way. I just wanted to tell you that there's nothing between Atoli and I, because I liked someone else instead. I would rather go out with you - I think I like you, Alkaid.

She blushed with a wide, stupid grin on her face while she re-read it and then scrolled down to the greeting card.

Haseo was offering to do the wedding event with her!

She stopped reading right there and sent her reply of acceptance to her crush, logging back in without checking any of the other emails.

-----.hack//G.U.-----

"So, uh, Alkaid," Haseo began, having warped from Netslum Tartarga to see her, "I'm sorry if I made you, um, mad at me or something..."

"You idiot." She was still turned away from him, and the white-garbed Adept Rogue took this in the worst possible way. What he didn't know was that she meant it in another way entirely - why hadn't he told her about what he felt for her? Why hadn't this happened earlier?

"I... Sorry, Alkaid. Just... just forget it." He turned around to warp somewhere, anywhere, but a small hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Wait, Haseo! I - uh - I didn't mean it that way!"

"You didn't?" A small glimmer of hope was in his PC's eyes. The player behind Alkaid, Chika Kuramoto, dismissed it as a glitch in her M2D headset while secretly wishing it was real.

'Nope! I was going to say you were an idiot for not realising that I liked you too,'  Chika thought before mentally discarding that response.

"I thought that it was obvious that I liked you," Alkaid blurted out, covering her mouth as soon as she said it. "I-" She was cut off by a gentle hug. "But you have to treat me nicely! And be here when I need you! And-"

"I'll make you happy," Haseo whispered into her ear, sincerety painting his determined features as he pulled back.

"Then let's go," she said, laughing as he offered her his arm - the gentlemanly gesture wasn't lost on Alkaid at all. For her part, she made a point to flaunt the famed 'Terror of Death' showing manners all the way to the Harbor District of Mac Anu.

-----.hack//G.U.-----

They had walked the red-carpeted line all the way up to the end, where Alkaid had blushed about looking girly in a wedding dress, but everything had gone smoothly. Haseo had even kissed her! She blushed at the very thought, and had no doubt that she was blushing in real life as well. That being said, she didn't bother to pull off her M2D to find out - she was too busy talking to the guests as she wandered around. She noticed a brown-haired PC staring at her intently, as if he wanted to speak to her, so she meandered over.

"I'm Silabus," he offered, extending his hand. "Haseo's our guild's leader," he explained quickly, gensturing to the pink Beast-creature who she remembered to be named Gaspard.

"I remember you," she replied slowly. "So what didja want to talk about?" Alkaid rubbed the back of her neck nervously; she hoped that these guys wouldn't try to spoil her 'wedding' event, although from all appearances, the only one who would even dream of attempting that would be Endrance. Fortunately, the man was so wrapped up in keeping Haseo happy that she doubted he would try to ruin it for her, and by proxy, Haseo.

"Just... Treat him well, okay?" he asked, looking a bit nervous himself. "He deserves a good partner."

"I know," she replied softly, taken aback by the level of honesty and loyalty in Silabus's brown eyes. Even if they were just pixelated data in a virtual world, it was really there. "I'll try my best."

"Then you'll be just fine!" Gaspard exclaimed with a wide grin. Giving her a hug that she uncomfortably returned, the beast-man wandered off, looking for a friend who was here as well. Silabus excused himself as well, leaving her alone once again.

Endrance caught her eye next. The blue-haired man was brooding in a corner, seeming to be very depressed indeed. She approached him cautiously, as if he was a wild animal that might strike at any time.

"Endrance." The man looked up, noticed her, and resumed his lethargic staring contest with the cobblestone ground. "Oh, for the love of God, Endrance, look at me!" That definately got his attention, especially when she slapped him. "Do you think Haseo's gonna like you having a pity party during his wedding?" She knew she was being harsh, but this was Endrance she was talking to. The guy could go emo in under a second, for all she knew.

"Haseo... doesn't need me anymore..." I can sympathise, she thought, before sitting next to the former Emperor on the stone wall.

"That's a load of bull and you know it! He needs all his friends, you idiot!" She paused for breath, thinking of all the times she had thought Haseo had just brought her along because he felt sorry for her. "Even you," she added softly, putting a cautious hand on his shoulder. "Y'know, I used to think Haseo only kept me around because he had to," she told him with a gentle sigh. Men were so hard to talk to without getting annoyed at. "But he really is a pretty good guy on the inside, yeah?"

"I know... Haseo was the only one who needed me for a while. I would do anything... to repay that," Endrance told her sadly. Alkaid's response was to whack him across the head, knocking off his violet hat in the process. She bent to retrieve it before playing with it, not offering it back to the man she was conversing with.

"You know, I don't know much about this love stuff or anything," she began. "I'm only fifteen in the real world, but here I can be Alkaid. I don't have to be shy or scared or whatever because I know I've got Haseo to fall back on if I have to. You probably know more about that kind of stuff than me, though," she admitted.

"I'm not much more experienced than you are," Endrance replied with another heavy sigh. "But... For whatever it may be worth... I wish you both the best. If Haseo falls, I will be there, though..."

"No problem," Alkaid answered with a grin. If Endrance had something to live for, then he wouldn't be too gloomy. "Tell ya what. We can go adventuring together sometime. I'll even be the healer. You can fight with Haseo, too."

"Thank you... I would enjoy that."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" She left Endrance there, daydreaming about Haseo and what it would be like to fight alongside him again. Snorting and shaking her head, the redheaded Emperor wandered off to see another guest; this time, it was someone she hadn't expected to come - Sirius.

"Alkaid." His rumbling voice surprised her, seeing as he had been turned away from her and she had been about to launch a sneak attack on his elongated neck. She did regardless, hugging the life out of him until he pried her off.

"Hey, Sirius."

"I hope you find happiness with Haseo. Remember that you can always come to me should you need me, though." And then he logged out.

"Jerk," she muttered under her breath, grinning nonetheless. Sirius was just... Sirius, she supposed. But it didn't matter for long after that, because a certain Rogue swept her off her feet in a surprise attack of his own only seconds later.

Happiness, Sirius? She looked back at Haseo, who had his arms loosely wrapped around her waist as he stared out into the virtual ocean. Yeah, I think I've found it.

'.hack//G.U.'
"Other World" by Ryuuzaki Kusakurin

DISCLAIMER: .hack//G.U. doesn't belong to me. T_T

Warnings: Violence, language, innuendo [?], etc.
Characters:
[Outside the Parameters] - Haseo, Endrance
[And The Games Begin] [IN PROGRESS] - Alkaid, Haseo, Endrance, Yata, Pi
[The Other Side of Nowhere] - Atoli, Haseo
Theme Songs: HOWLING [Abingdon Boys School], Desert Rose [Abingdon Boys School], Tsuki no Curse [Okina Reika], Kiss Me Goodbye [Angela Aki]
Pairings: None so far...

These little one-shot things are being put together to save space [lol, like we care with a practically unlimited server...] and make it easier for you to read. As each drabble is done, it will be posted here. As it is, you can expect one about every other week until they're done. And by the way, don't steal my stuff.

PS: Sorry, in chapter 1, there is a little bit of Endrance-poking. That means that I'm poking fun at him a little bit. Deal with it; Endrance is my favourite character in the game, but I'm gonna laugh at him every now and then, too.

It was odd enough that this place existed as it did, and because of that, Haseo instinctively knew that this was an area outside of the game's parameters. The area wasn't a dungeon, nor was it a field, but it was a forbidden area. He had keyed in the area words ∆ Hidden Your Shadow, and he had ended up here.

 The soft moonlight fell on everything around him, and the pale trees seemed to almost glow in the gentle radiance. It reminded him of the place he had first seen Endrance and seen the kind of destruction AIDA could cause. It also reminded him of the Demon Palace arena, for whatever reason, but he shrugged it off, knowing that he was just associating the arena with Endrance anyway.

Walking forward and brushing the silver hair out of his red eyes, Haseo sat down a few metres away from the tree line that signalled the beginning of the eerily silent forest. The sound of burbling water drew his attention and he looked over to the left, startled that he hadn't noticed it sooner, but he chalked it up to the fact that he had never seen anything like this place prior to today.

"What is this place?" He didn't expect an answer to his spoken question, and as he watched the sky, he realised that the area was riddled with ‘holes', places where he could see the coding of the virtual area. Disturbed, the player stood up and walked toward the nearest such ‘hole', although he sighed in relief when it contained no traces of AIDA or any residual AIDA signatures.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Haseo turned, immediately recognising the falsetto. It could only belong to the former Demon Palace emperor, Endrance.

"Yeah, whatever," Haseo muttered back, knowing that Endrance didn't really care how Haseo answered. "The coding's stripped in some places."

"It is an incomplete area," the long-haired man sighed, carelessly brushing a lock of silvery-blue hair out of his face. "Only we special users can access this type of area. That of course includes your friend Azure Kite," he commented lightly, walking past the Adept Rouge and sitting on a rock on the bank of the small river Haseo had heard earlier. He sighed once again, turning his face to the sky, a thoughtful look on his face. "I believe that this area was in fact created by Aura."

"Interesting," the Rouge replied, not entirely caring. "I was just looking for a good place to level up."

"That's how I found it, originally," Endrance told him, much to Haseo's amazement. The man wanted to level up? The only time he ever seemed to care was if Haseo took him to an area, the Rouge mused. And then, the man shrugged, brushing invisible specks of dirt off of his shoulder as he sighed. "It makes me think about you, Haseo."

"What?!" Haseo sputtered, watching the former Emperor warily. "You- what- hey!" He narrowed his eyes and pulled off his white-and-black boot, hefting it menacingly and chucking it at Endrance for good measure. For his part, the blue-haired man managed to look utterly affronted before falling off of the rock and into the water below him. "Reminds me of Haseo my ass," he sighed, and then turned back towards the surfacing man, offering him a hand to get out of the water.

"Haseo... You should know that I'll never stop thinking about you, even if you dislike me..." Haseo almost laughed. The usually-poised and graceful man looked akin to a drowned rat.

"I know, Endrance," he sighed, mentally berating himself for even replying to that.

"But I wasn't lying when I said that the beauty of this place is much like yours..."

Haseo 'accidentially' pushed him back into the river and walked away, leaving a still-soaking Endrance staring at his back with a faint smile at the boy's michevious nature.

And in the Serpent of Lore, Pi and Yata were laughing.

Ach ja, Rufus' Energiebilanz: +1.0
Für die, die sich erinnern ...

Habe die rund 80 CDs bedruckender weise hinter mich gebracht, nachdem ich letztens "ewig" kopiert habe.*

* Naja, eigentlich nur 2 Nächte und über die Länge der Nächte sag' i besser Nichts :lol: . Die weiteren Schritte liegen (fast) nicht mehr bei mir, kann also Nichts mehr schief gehen.

Also am Vormittag etwas Ablenkung - kleine Unterhaltung. Habe dann den halben Nachmittag als Zeitausgleich genommen, damit ich mich einstimme bzw. vorbereite bzw. ..... BLÖDSINN! Ein reines Logistik Problem: ich muss einfach nach Hause, etwas essen, duschen umziehen und dann hinein zur Probe. Das Essen war übrigens was Leichtes - ein feines Supperl und eine Palatschinke (hm, eigentlich 2 - also doch nicht mehr ganz leicht ;) ). Was ich noch vergessen habe - dazwischen natürlich bisschen Dompteur für die Kinder, sFrauli hat ja auch ein Recht auf Körperpflege usw.

Die Fahrt war dann von etwas eigenartiger Unterhaltung geprägt - ich wurde als nervös, wie noch nie beschrieben. Komisch, warum wohl. Hat sich dann aber mit den ersten Tönchen bei der Probe sofort gelegt - naja, fast zumindest. Nach dem allgemeinen Einsingen und den Ensemblestücken habe ich natürlich die Arie begonnen, nur so, um ein Gefühl zu bekommen, wie's läuft. Und es lief. Habe dann aber unter physischer Einwirkung der Georgierin gerade die schweren und hohen Stellen einige Male duchsingen dürfen (vielleicht wäre ein anderes Wort hier angebrachter) - ihr hat es jedenfalls Nichts ausgemacht :) .

Die Zeit bis zum Konzert war dann schnell verflogen und dann auch die Zeit bis zu meinem ersten Stück: Belsatzar - eine Ballade von Robert Schumann. Was soll ich sagen: erste Sahne - die Musik, die Aussprache, die Deklamation - einfach der gesamte Vortrag. Damit war für mich dann der erste Teil auch (fast) bereits vor. Fast deswegen, weil wir noch alle unser Ensemblestück zum Besten gaben: Funiculi, funicula. Was auch immer das heißen mag? Spätestens nach den Textänderungen in meinem Abschnitt hat es etwas anderes geheißen :) . Die anderen haben übrigens brav mitgezogen, hehe und meinen falschen Text schön artig falsch wiederholt - muss ja zusammenpassen. UND die weiteren Text in diesem Stück wurden ebenfalls kleinen Änderungen unterworfen - war wie eine Lawine und ich wieder einmal ein Trendsetter.

In der Pause gab's dann bereits die ersten guten Kritiken und somit war ein guter Start in die "2. Hälfte" gewährleistet. Was gab's in der "2. Hälfte" von mir?

Nun zuerst die schwere Arie aus Rigoletto: Cortigiani .... Guter Einstieg - sofort auf Zug gewesen, wenn man das so nennen möchte und das Rezitativ somit gleich ein erster schöner Teilerfolg. Dann ging's in die (zumindest von mir) mit Spannung erwartete Arie, mit ihren langen Phrasen und den sehr abwechslungsreichen Rhythmen. Die Arie ist dann ja auch gespickt mit einigen Hochtönen - einer besonders (vielleicht erinnert sich wer ;) ) obwohl er gar nicht vorgesehen war von Giuseppe Verdi. Und genau dieser bereits ziemlich zu Beginn der Arie brachte mich auch ganz schön ins Schwitzen - vorher. Als er dann an der Reihe war, WOW WOW WOW - als ob ich nie etwas anderes machen würde (hm - vielleicht kommt das ja auch noch einmal :) ). Was sollte also schon passieren - somit war große Oper angesagt und nach dem letzten (schier nicht enden wollenden) Ton, gab's dann riesigen Applaus und gleich ein kräftiges Bravo (aus Georgien, hehe). Da war er also der Fun - zahlt sich halt doch aus das (extreme) Risk. Die Zuhörer waren an diesem Abend überhaupt etwas verhalten, aber einen zweiten "Vorhang" gab's für mich schon bei meinen Stücken.

Nach der Arie waren eigentlich 2 Stücke von anderen - also Pause zum Erholen. Aber nix da. Ein Stück fiel aus, weil die Sängerin kurzfristig (ein paar Minuten davor) erkrankte. Somit war ich nahezu sofort wieder an der Reihe - mit dem Song aus Der Schöne und das Biest. Das Stück schloss dann nahtlos an die beiden ersten an - ok ganz optimal war es nicht, der Schlusston hätte noch länger sein können. War aber der Ausgleich für den sehr langen Schlusston im Rigoletto, damit die Leute auch wieder nach Hause kommen. YATA (yet another tosender Applaus)!!!

Was blieb noch - das Abschlussensemble Im Feuerstrom der Reben aus der Fledermaus. Ein echt flottes Stück und der Text kam trotzdem richtig von mir, na so etwas. Hatte übrigens Ruck-Zuck die gesamte Bühne okkupiert bzw. abgewandert.

Die "Fans" waren dann übrigens allgemein sehr erfreut, um das etwas nüchterner auszudrücken. Außer einem - meinem Lieblingsfan: was machst denn eigentlich noch da?

Nach einem kurzen Intermezzo auf der Straße - zwei weibliche Fans - ging es dann in's Lokal. Singen macht hungrig und so wanderte ein Gourmettoast aber sowas von schnell in meinen Magen.

Was es dort noch gab: meine Stunde für den nächsten Tag wurde abgesagt (aber nicht von mir, versteht sich :) ), ein weiterer Fan wünschte sich endlich etwas Lustiges von mir (habe ich zugesagt - naja, kein Problem, oder?) und und und ja jetzt bin ich Per-Du mit IHR und somit im auserwählten Kreis - Georgia und Rufus. Tja, nur risk nur fun* :mrgreen: .

* Nach der Heimfahrt hat sich sFrauli natürlich seine Belohnung abgeholt ...