I have an odd fetish for Mechs x Pilots that has been going on since my Gundam days. Needless to say, .hack/G.U. and the Avatar system set my fangirl senses off to the max. I had a craving for Skeith x Haseo, and sadly there is not much of that pairing anywhere. So I went and wrote it myself. Cheers.

Notes: Spoilers for .hack/Sign, .hack/Roots, and .hack/G.U. Semi-A.U. Universe. Assumes that Sora from .hack/Sign and Haseo are the same person; Haseo having lost his memories from being in a Coma for so long.

Pairing: Skeith x Haseo, Canon Pairings, Dark.

Thanks for Reading and Reviewing!

The Rogue Who Was Death

Prologue

I have found you.

At the time, Haseo had been too angry at The World, Bordeaux, Endrance, Tri-Edge, G.U., and himself to really think about those words. To think about that surrounding darkness that occurred after he heard them echoing in his ears. Or the tight embrace he swore he could feel on his real life skin just before the power started surging through his veins creating a high he hadn't experienced before. Such power; it made him giddy with the sensations to the point he was laughing the moment the fight was over. It was practically orgasmic; that power. His Avatar wielded, no. Haseo wielded, a glowing scythe to tear down anything in front of him be it PKer or AIDA.

Skeith.

Haseo did not know how, but he knew the name of his Avatar. Was that what it meant to be connected? The young PKK stood on the bridge of Mac Anu to contemplate his situation. Phyllo was no longer there to guide him, but that was fine. Haseo was more than capable of making his own decisions and choosing for himself what path he would take. Didn't he awaken his Avatar? Wasn't that proof enough that he knew what he was doing? Kuhn didn't know what he was talking about.

The Avatar was a tool, a source of power. It did what it was told and Haseo would use it to get revenge on Tri-Edge and save Shino. And maybe to defeat AIDA along the way, but that wasn't as important as Shino. Maybe if he saved Shino, Ovan would return as well. Then they could all be together again like they did at the beginning. It was nice, then. Haseo would bring those times back by using his Avatar.

He hoped, anyway. Haseo gripped his controller as he sat at his desk and looked at the river with his visor. Despite his dedication to his own stubborn decision, there was something on the edge of his consciousness that bothered him. Something that disagreed with him; almost mocked him. That feeling twisted in his gut and brought back a sense of dejá vu so strong that the Adept Rogue wondered if it hadn't actually happened. A sense that he had been inside his Avatar before, though it felt more forced. A frightening existence that he had no desire to repeat.

Haseo shook his heads of those ridiculous thoughts. He was just still tingling from gaining a new power, there was nothing more to it. The Adept Rogue pushed off from the railing he had been leaning against and walked along the bridge, his new tail on his belt piece swishing behind him. He should go level or something and get it out of his system. Especially since Yata and the Old Hag were sure to bother him sooner or later after the lecture he received from Kuhn. Maybe he could get his Avatar to come out and play with some regular monsters; that wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

With that in mind, Haseo made his way towards the Gate at the Dome. He passed the warp points on his way, for once enjoying the walk. Lectures aside, he was still in a good mood from finally unlocking the power needed to save Shino. He refused to let dejá vu and a loud mouthed lady-killer damper the spring in his step and rush of adrenaline flowing through his character's veins. However, he did feel a sense of obligation to check on Shop Acorn as he passed by it in the Central Area.

"Haseo!" Gaspard waved as he saw his Guild Master approaching. He could still remember that awesome arena fight and couldn't have been prouder that The Terror of Death was in their guild. Gaspard smiled brightly as he told Haseo of their Guild Shop success. "I sold all the items you gave me!"

"That's great, Gaspard." Haseo nodded as he rounded the corner to talk to his pudgy, beast character friend. The kid was smiling brightly and it did make Haseo feel better that he was no longer crying. "You really like running the shop, don't you?"

"Yeah, I love people watching." Gaspard patted a seat next to him on the fountain for Haseo to sit with him. "Silibus won't say it, but he gets bored watching the shop all day. I think it's fun."

"Well, at least you do. Can't say I was too fond of it, myself." Haseo smirked and placed a foot up on the rim of the fountain. If he sat down he'd be obligated to stay longer than he wanted. He really did want to get to leveling sometime soon. Haseo then took this opportunity to start planning his exit before he got too caught up in the wonders of Canard. "Do you need anything else for the shop? I'm about to go tackle random dungeons so I guess I could look for something if you needed it."

"Hmm, well. Those Change Necklaces sold really well." Gaspard but a hand under his chin as he was thinking. "But other than that, I can't think of anything in particular. You could always surprise us!"

"I'll do that then." Haseo pulled his foot back and waved. "See you later, Gaspard."

"Bye, Haseo!" The young beast character's belly rumbled as he waved animately. Now that everything was sold, he could start closing up and maybe go see his other friend. "I'll tell Silibus you said hello!"

"You do that." Haseo rolled his eyes. He hadn't even brought up the older Blade Brandier. He shook his head as he started up the long path to the Gate. Well, as long as he was bringing back a surprise he might as well challenge himself. A level 35 dungeon it was! Haseo smirked as he approached the steps but scowled when his visor alerted him to a new e-mail in his box. He clicked away the alert and kept walking. It was probably from Yata and to be honest, The Serpent of Lore could wait twenty more minutes for him to finish a dungeon.

If he was lucky he'd summon his Avatar again and then could rub it in their faces.

The outer realms of The World were dark. The dim glow of the blue netting that surrounded and gave shape to the square outskirts of fields and towns was the only source of light. In the middle of this mesh sat a towering figure with a set of glowing eyes and horns on its head. One that had just awakened and was taking this chance to reacquaint himself with this new world and those that were in it. He was surrounded by little windows that monitored The World and all those in it, with one in particular stationed dead center in front of his eyes. He traced a claw along the cheek of the Black PKK on the screen.

"Are you happy?"

Skeith looked up as he heard the echoing voice around him. The sensual female voice surrounded him and he recognized his Master; the one who first gave him life, albeit a limited one. She was barely able to support herself now in this world, but the one called Morganna was not one easily deterred. She had figured out how to survive and jump from networks to infiltrate this new World with him tagging along, had she not? He simply nodded and looked through the little window that displayed a dungeon; his red skirt fluttering around his spiky limbs. He could see the Adept Rogue making use of his new Broadsword on an ignorant PKer that had randomly challenged him.

"It's been a while since you two were together last, hasn't it?"

The First Phase would have smiled, had it a mouth beneath its three glowing eyes, when he watched the Player Killer hit the ground and turn grey as it died. The two of them did not carry the name 'The Terror of Death' for nothing. He only wished he could have found the boy earlier and been with him when he earned that Title. 100 Player Kills at once; it made Skeith feel nostalgic. But was greeted with the sight of other random players picking a fight with Haseo.

"I wonder if he will be better behaved this time around."

Skeith remembered those days. His human had always been a rebel, even when he was a young boy. Now that he was older, not only did he still harbor that insurgent tendency, but now it was stronger. He had a strong will and could stand up for himself in battle, just like before only now with more purpose behind it. Skeith looked forward to fighting with him. Before, Skeith had been given birth from that boy's character data. Now, they were two separate entities that lived inside of each other in this space known as 'The World.' Though, as powerful as his scythe was, he did miss his staff.

"I have no tolerance for betrayal twice."

And neither would Skeith. Haseo would not have the chance to betray him. And if he somehow managed, Skeith would discipline him before Morganna could her chance. He finally had his partner back, and Skeith had no intention of losing him. There was too much fun to be had and too much Data to collect. Haseo may have forgotten, but he was a PK once, too. How else could his character have given birth to The Terror of Death? If Haseo did not choose Skeith of his own will; than he would chose him by force.

They were supposed to be together.

"Keep an eye on him."

The three eyes on his head stayed focused on Haseo has he plowed through players and Skeith nodded as he felt the presence leave his area. Chances were high She was off to see what that girl Aura was doing. Most likely something involving the 'Pursuers.' Skeith had no love for the Azure Knights. Especially the Twin Blade. He may not be the same, but that one that he was modeled after was the one who split Skeith and Haseo apart in the first place. Unforgivable.

They would not be separated again. Ever.

Haseo let out a strong sigh as he put away his weapons. He had wanted to level, but that was impossible with all these random Player Killers running into him. How was he supposed to know that this field was being used as a Kestrel meeting spot? It did not help that he had the strangest feeling he was being watched during the entire fight. Though, he shouldn't be surprised by that. He already knew now that Yata could watching anyone and anything he wanted from that Serpent of Lore place. Maybe he and the Old Hag were spying on him now and wondering why the hell he hadn't jumped like a good boy at their call yet.

Haseo kicked one of the dead bodies before walking forward to the Beast Statue looming ahead of him. Those PKers had trailed him all the way to the final room in the dungeon; they were relentless and barely provided any HP. Plus they had already cleared the field of monsters to make it easier to maneuver and catch players off guard. That had better be a damn good item in that chest for all this trouble. He kicked open the chest open to receive a Four Star Rare Grimoire. Well, he had nothing for Shop Acorn, but at least he could give Gaspard a new weapon to use. That should make the squirt happy.

He then flicked off the PKers lying dead on the ground before warping back to town. The moment he stepped foot inside of Mac Anu's Dome he received another email. He blew the hair out of his face and headed over to the save desk before logging out. Might as well get things over with and see what they want over at G.U.