AAA Interlude -- ''The Fine Line''         
    
By Kenny Blackwell      

     Aerith was in the living room of Mako's house sipping her tea as
she watched "Hyper Police." She enjoyed watching the humorous late night 
anime, and that cat-girl, Natsuki, was just so adorably cute...!
     The front door suddenly opened, alerting Aerith.  Turning to the door, 
she caught a glimpse of a lavender skinned girl in a light green dress... 
her adopted sister, Blink... rush upstairs. Also entering the house was 
her date for the night... a young man with brown eyes and black hair with 
a touch of gray to his bangs.  He wore torn jeans, high-tops, a DX T-shirt, 
and a white jacket.
     Aerith easily recognized him.
     "Oh, good evening, Kenny..." she greeted the man who brought her and 
Blink back from fictional oblivion. "How was your date?"
     "It was... okay..." answered Kenny. Something was troubling Kenny... 
Aerith could tell.
     "Your favorite wrestler didn't win, Kenny?" asked Aerith. "What's his 
name... Over...Under... something...?"
     "Undertaker..." Kenny corrected the flower girl. "And that's the WWF 
you're thinking about. Clarice and I went to an AAA match. The Author 
Avatar Association?"
     Aerith blinked once, then shrugged her shoulders.
     "I... really don't follow wrestling..." she smiled sheepishly.  
"Sorry!"
     Blink suddenly ran back down the stairs; clad in her light green and 
magenta costume, complete with blue leather jacket, quiver full of staves, 
and her retractable staff.  She looked like she was ready for a war.
     "... Clarice...?" Aerith called out.
     "Where're you off to?" asked Kenny.
     "To Dark Mobius..." Blink answered. "I ain't gonna just sit on my ass 
and do nothing, Kenny... I can't! Who knows what that bastard'll do to her?"
     Aerith had a confused look on her face. "What... happened, exactly?"
     Kenny sighed. "You know Deb Lawson? "Y'know... Sailor Soulstone?"
     Aerith's eyes went wide. "... Another Sailor Senshi...?"
     "Yeah. Well, the 3A's got some major problems. There's this... uhm... 
evil hedgehog named Dark Sonic... and just an hour or so... he and his 
goons kidnaped her."
     "How horrible..." exclaimed Aerith.
     "Yeah, now you know, knowing's half the battle, yo Joe, and all that 
crap..." Blink said. "Now if you excuse me, I got a Sailor Senshi to rescue!"
     "I can't let you go, Clarice..." announced Kenny.
     "What??" Blink was shocked. "Why the hell not?!"
     "Well, first of all, the Powers That Be won't allow it..." explained 
Kenny. "You're not a sanctioned 3A avatar, so it's just best to let those 
who ARE sanctioned deal with it.
     "Secondly..." Kenny continued. "... Dark Sonic's more devious and more 
powerful than Holocaust or Sephiroth or even Ryokami! On top of all that, 
he's twisted..." Kenny turned away from Blink as he shuddered. "If he 
captures you... I don't want to think about what he'd do to you..."
     "Yeah, my point, Kenny!" Blink retorted. "All those things you don't 
wanna think about...they're probably already happening to Soulstone 
already! I GOTTA go! Before it's too late!"
     "Dammit, Clarice, won't you listen to reason?!" Kenny shouted.
     "Haven't you heard a single word I've said? Huh? Have you??"
     "Maybe you SHOULD sit this one out..." Aerith told Blink. "Kenny 
DOES know what he's talking about. And he HAS helped us so much. I mean... 
if it weren't for him, you'd still be non-existent, and I'd be in the 
bottom of that lake in..."
     "You don't get it, Aerith...!" Blink turned towards the young Ancient. 
"I made a vow to myself... I would help Usagi and the Senshi in any way I 
can. I can't go back on my promise... I just can't..." Blink bowed her 
head. "... Not now... when she needs me most..."
     "... You're so brave, Clarice..." Kenny said. "Willing to blink into 
any danger just to do the right thing... but Clarice. You're walking that 
fine line between bravery and stupidity! Don't you see?" Kenny placed his 
hands on Blink's shoulders. "You're like a daughter to me... and I
can't let you go... just so that you can throw your life away. Don't you 
see?"
     Blink paused. "... But... I can't do nothing... I can't..."
     "So you won't change your mind?" Kenny asked.
     Blink hesitated, then shook her head.
     "Okay... then I guess I've got no other choice... but to un-create 
you."
     "WHAT??" Blink and Aerith both exclaimed in unison. "It's a helluva 
lot more humane than to have you go to Dark Mobius to face that maniac!" 
Kenny paused to rub his forehead, then continued. "I don't want to go to 
these types of extremes... believe me. I'm more than content with 
immortality and omnipresence. But I AM an author. And you are but one of 
my character... my semi-creation. A part of me is in you... all I have 
to do is pluck that part of me out of you, snf you're back to non-existence.
      "Please, Clarice..." Kenny finished. "Don't make me do this. Leave 
this to the 3A's avatars. This is their game... don't be the joker in the 
deck."
      Blink couldn't believe what she was hearing... Kenny was willing 
to un-create her just to keep her from saving someone?! "Damn you..." 
Blink cursed as tears welled up in her eyes. "You can be such a bastard... 
I... I..." Emotionally distraught, Blink turned to embrace Aerith, crying
on her shoulder.
     "... Sorry..." Kenny whispered, feeling Blink's pain. "I wish... I 
wish it was different..."
     After Blink went to bed, Kenny said his goodbyes for the night to 
Aerith, and made his way down the street.
     'It'll be a while before Clarice can trust me again...' Kenny lamented. 
'I don't blame her...I was a bit cold tonight. And she has been feeling 
a little neglected... ever since I stopped writing Blink fiction after 
"Human Wickedness" and returned to Clan Justice work, she's been clamoring
for whatever action she can get.' Kenny looked up at the night sky and 
sighed. 'I was hoping either Blink or the Clan Justice could be my avatar 
in the Triple A, but it doesn't look good for either of them. I shouldn't 
worry... I suppose I should go back to square one...' Kenny's mind
focused onto one spot... a desert wasteland, and upon it, a lone man, clad 
all in black, walking across it without any signs of wariness.
     'Shaed Bloodgrave...' Kenny smiled. 'The Revenant. He's always 
searching for competition... if all goes well... maybe he'll find it in 
the Triple A...' Still smiling, Kenny continued to walk down the street 
as he faded away, returning to his reality.

 FINIS.