Artificial Emotion: The second life.

Chapter 6: The song-soother.

(A/N: This chapter is entirely focused on the character of Hinatana, saying now to avoid confusion regardless enjoy)

It had been a few days since the siege on the Widow headquarters, throughout the reconstruction of the fort Thaddeus was in yet another recovery along with most the guilds members including their officers. In their absence Hinatana and Melikra stepped up to the plate of organizing the guilds efforts, whilst this was all in motion a glitch within Thaddeus' programming caused him to enter the mental links of players to himself. "Where am I? Is all this a dream?" he pondered seeing the halls of a Japanese Highschool instead of the fantasy landscape of Ulthiroa, it wasn't until he caught glimpse of a familiar figure that all became clear, he was inside Hinatana's memories.

Just like her in-game avatar based on her real appearance, her body was small in frame and her movements timid and shy. Her hair long and dark brown with piercing blue eyes almost glowing on her pasty pale-skinned face, added to that were a pair of eyeglasses resting on the bridge of her nose with average size lens. "Is that.... Hinatana?" Thaddeus wondered as his ghostly phasing figure stood still before his attention being drawn to a series of voices coming down the hallway. What followed was like a scene from a common highschool environment, in this case Hinatana was the target to the other girls constant insulting. "HEY, STOP THAT!" Thaddeus yelled out but to no avail as the girls simply walked off laughing as they go leaving Hinatana upset and alone, "Why am I seeing this? How did I get here?" kept swirling inside his though process as he kept a close distance from the girl before him.

Shifting memories to one within Hinatana's home he saw things weren't much better then at school, a family shrine sat in the living room of her father who succumb to cancer and her mother was also suffering from a heart condition making her not only the main breadwinner but balancing her studies with supporting the family left her in a number of stressing situations. Being an only child after her younger sister was a stillborn, this impacted yet another point on her mentality, what Thaddeus soon discovered by roaming the memory was the origin of the name Hinatana being a portmanteau of her mothers name Hinata and the supposed name of her little sister Tanaya, whilst discovering this he overheard her talk to herself. "What did I do to deserve this? Why can't I have a friend, just one friend is all I ask" she muttered under her tears making Thaddeus try to approach her extending his arm before the memory shifted again.

This memory unlike the previous two was a more positive in atmosphere and feeling, it was a gym hall fill with seated students, parents and teachers of the school which Hinatana went to and there Thaddeus heard her actual name as she was introduced to the spotlit stage, "Chizu Koizumi? That's her name huh, heh suiting to the meaning" he thought to himself suddenly to be drawn to a flute in her hands whilst she raised it to her mouth positioning her fingers on the gaps followed by the play of Malcom Arnold's piece known as Fantasy causing Thaddeus' eyes to widen at her skill and precision with the wind instrument. With the piece's end a round of applause echo'd as he faded out the memory, Hinatana's smiling face photograph'd within his own memory.

Like the previous few things had never happened Thaddeus awoke back inside the Widows headquarters, the moonlit night sky glimpsing through the window as he rubbed his forehead trying to separate dream from fact. Then his ears overheard a series of musical notes floating in the air as he stood up following the sound, sure enough in the main hall of the fort with her flute was Hinatana playing away with a look that she was in her own little haven within the chaotic game that she was locked in. Slowly and silent as he could move Thaddeus walked down the stone carpeted stairs but the two froze as Hinatana ended her piece reflexively turning around meeting gaze with him, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you!" she frantically spoke almost dropping her flute.

"Don't worry about it, slept enough after an odd dream anyway" he responded moving to a nearby chair then slumping into it with a grunt of exhaustion.

"Would you like some tea? I was just about to have some myself" she asked placing her flute down on the table beside his chair, smiling for the first time the two had met.

"Erm... yeah sure, if it's okay that is?" Thaddeus said half questioning himself causing her to let out a girly giggle whilst heading over to the ring fireplace in the middle of the hall. An unseen side to Hinatana stood before him, a more tranquil and ease-mind girl who held a great passion for music. "Thank you" he said upon receiving his cup of the hot steaming brew, his eyes keeping a close observing gaze on her as she sat down in the chair to the opposing side of the table, "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused your guild by the way, should of just kept my distance" he uttered taking a slow sip from his cup.

"Don't say that, sure what me and Melikra saw was scary but you're not a bad person" Hinatana countered his remark as she placed her cup down neatly on the table, "You miss her don't you?" she added soon after causing his gaze to stare blankly at the ground as he then slowly removed his pearl white eye-mask letting out a sigh as eyelids lifted revealing the bright yellow numbering code within the black void eyes.

"If not for her, I'd properly be behind bars or worse. She saved my life and I just feel like I let her down so damn much in letting her die like she did" he explained resting back in his chair gaze still fixed on the ground, "Whenever it felt like my blood was boiling she'd hold me close and say it's alright, I loved her and will do anything to save her, even if it means dying again" he stated like a solemn vow.

"And you will, I know it" Hinatana replied with a small smile with a hint of envy in her blue eyes, she then proceeded to walking over to a Lute leaning up against the wall bringing it over to him resting it on the table. "Do you know how to play?" she then asked picking up her flute.

"Ain't no different from a Guitar right? Had a hobby of playing Finger-pick style like they do in Spain" he answered picking up the instrument looking it over and making a few tuning adjustments. "How about we alternate between Traditional themes for Europe and Asia, always wanted to experiment like that" he then joked with Hinatana nodding in a minor excitement. As he started with two string notes and a hand-tap to the wooden surface she added a subtle weave of flute to the more gallop pace of the lute creating a interest infusion of string and wind instrumental with the finale being a riff from the lute.

"That was fun, why didn't you mention you liked to play before?" Hinatana asked placing her flute back on the table in a rather joyful manner as Thaddeus did so leaning the lute against the side of his chair.

"Hadn't played in years so I felt rusty. Oh and you can call me by my real name, all friends here after all" he said with a extension of his arm and open hand shortly after "Peter Brone".

"Chizu Koizumi" she responded with a subtle handshake and another smile then trailing into an almost stare of his encoded eyes, "Such mystery to these eyes, yet such beauty" she uttered at a barely audible pitch.

"Could say the same for you, Little spring" he jokingly remarked leading to the pair laughing as they sat and talked for the remainder of the night.