The Kendo Club

Chapter One: Instincts

Beginning A/N:

Hey, Infinity Moment here! (I change my usernames frequently, so I was recently known as NitoryuNoKami and The Geico Gecko. Sorry for any confusion I may be causing my readers.)

So yeah, this is a short story for you all in the meantime until I can actually update one of my other projects. This one isn't complete yet and I'm not sure when it will be. Also, my first story, ERROR: SYSTEM REBOOT, is almost at TWENTY THOUSAND VIEWS! Thank you so much for all the support you've given my first story.

Have a good read!

I walked through the school hallway, heading towards my locker. When I got there, my stomach dropped.

Great, my locker needed another touch up.

Said locker had been covered in graffiti, with words I'd rather not repeat written all over it. Looking to the right, I noticed the locker next to mine had similar graffiti.

"Hey Kirito, how's it going?" queried my friend and neighbor, Sachi, as she walked up to me.

"Oh, same old, same old. My locker has different words on it today, though, so there's something new. Then again, so does yours," I said despondently.

"Cheer up, Kazuto. I'm sure the end of the day will come soon enough, then we can get to our club!"

Which is exactly why I get picked on.

"Thanks… Sachi."

"Well anyway, let's go! We have the last three classes together, remember? Come on!"

I sighed. "All right…"

By the end of the day, all I wanted to do was go to the clubroom, get on my computer and play my favorite MMO.

Despite the fact that our club was technically called the Computer Research Club, we spent most of our time focusing on our new "research topic," which happened to be my favorite MMO, Sword Art Online.

What an interesting research topic…

We made the excuse that we were trying to research the various floors of Aincrad, the world that SAO was set in, and somehow it worked.

I was practically jumping in my seat just before the bell rang, and when it did, I utilized my speed gained from morning exercises to run out of the room, weave through the growing crowds and get into the clubroom in less than a minute.

Once I closed the door to the room, I immediately went to the computer in the corner, sat down in the corresponding chair and logged onto my school account, opening SAO from my taskbar shortcut.

Game id: Kirito

Password: ************

I logged on, immediately checking to see if the seventy-fourth floor had been cleared yet. Sadly, it seemed as if no one had even made it to the boss room, let alone beaten it.

If things keep going on like this, I'll just have to solo it like I did with the 73rd floor boss. Of course, no one knows how I actually did it… hehe.

"As always, you're the first to get here. By the way, I heard you soloed the seventy-third floor boss over the weekend. Congrats on beating it! My one question is… how?" someone said while entering the clubroom.

He walked over to me, and I met his fist with my own.

"It's my secret, and mine alone. Sorry Ducker."

"I heard you told Sachi!" Ducker said indignantly.

I looked him in the eyes, meeting his glare with an impassive stare.

"Yeah, well, that's different."

"How so?" another teen said, walking into the room.

"Hey Prez."

"Hey yourself, Kazuto! I heard from Sachi that they've been vandalizing your lockers again. I wish there was a way to stop them," said our club president, Keita.

"Don't worry about it, we don't mind," Sachi said as she entered the room.

"I still don't like it that my friends are getting bullied," Keita asserted.

"Come on, you don't need to worry about it. It's our problem to deal with," I said, hiding the bitterness I felt.

Don't try to solve my problems for me! They're mine and mine alone!

"Well, okay… anyway, let's get to playing— er, researching!" Keita shouted enthusiastically.

Everyone cheered, including Sasamaru and Tetsuo, who had just entered the room.

I love you guys… you're the best club I could ever ask for.

After club activities ended, I was on the way home with Sachi when someone pushed me down from behind.

"Let me guess… is it you, Kuradeel?" I hissed.

"You're damn right it's me!" Kuradeel said. "What the hell are you doing walking on my street?"

"Oh **** off. It's a public street, dumbass," I retorted, earning a punch in the face.

I saw Sachi look on in fear, just as she always did.

"That's right, keep on roaring!" I continued taunting him.

He grabbed a fistful of my shirt, pulling me up towards his face.

Wait for it… three, two… one…

"Stop it, you'll make us look bad."

And there we go.

"A-Asuna-sama! What a lovely surprise! We were just having a little fun!"

"Really? You punching a defenseless boy in the face doesn't seem like fun to me."

I'm not defenseless, idiot, is what I wanted to say, but I held my tongue.

"Okay, fine! I'll leave for now!" Kuradeel said, letting go of my shirt and walking away.

Asuna looked at me and Sachi, who had just recovered from her fear.

"Sorry about that, he's kind of the rotten apple of the bunch," Asuna apologized.

What a stupid metaphor.

"So you didn't save me because you cared about a fellow student's safety, you only saved me because if he beat me up, it'd look bad for the Fencing Club. Did I miss anything, Flash?" I said, spitting out her nickname as if it was venom.

Asuna glared at me, then turned to walk away. "I can't believe I saved a jerk like you! See if I ever help you out again!"

I smirked. "Don't forget to write!"

Sachi and I continued our walk home in silence, before Sachi broke the silence with, "You know, you really should be a little nicer to her. She saved you, after all."

"It must be the end of the world if you're lecturing me," I said bitterly.

"I'm serious, you should be more careful about whom you do that to."

"I know, it's just that… I've had this feeling lately, as if something bad is gonna happen. It's getting closer and closer, and I know it has something to do with the Fencing Club. I feel like if I provoke people, it'll happen to me instead of someone who doesn't deserve it."

"Kazuto… wait, who is it you feel like it's going to happen to?"

I can't tell her the truth.

"No one in particular, just someone who doesn't deserve it. Someone innocent and kind," I said, falling deep in thought.

If she realized the person I was talking about were her, she might distance herself from me… but… if I don't tell her, she might slip up and it'll happen to her… my premonitions have never been wrong, but this is the only one I want to change!

"Is the person you're referring to… me?"

Wary of her reaction, I said, "Yeah. Every time I see it, you're always alone, so I've been trying to be as close to you as possible… sorry if that's creepy."

"No, it's kinda cool. Anyway, we're here!"

I looked up, noting that we had indeed reached our houses.

At least we're next-door neighbors.

"All right, I'd better go. My parents are waiting for me!" Sachi said cheerily, starting to walk to her house.

"Wait!"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Would you want to… stay over here tonight?"

She looked back at me with an apologetic smile. "Sorry… I want to, but my parents and I are going out to dinner tonight."

"Oh… okay," I said.

I guess it can't be helped. I just hope it doesn't happen between now and school tomorrow.

We walked into our respective houses, saying goodbye for the night.

"I'm home!" I said as I walked through the doorway.

"Hey, brother!"

Sugu.

I ignored my "sister" and made my way upstairs where I could spend the entire night gaming.

Once I got into my room, I immediately mimicked my entry into the clubroom earlier that day, rushing over to my seat and logging in.

ID: Kirito

Password: ************

"Check it out, someone mapped out the seventy-fourth floor boss dungeon already! I'd better get the map data from Argo and go beat that thing!"

I PMed my favorite info broker, Argo the Rat, and told her I'd be willing to pay for the map data.

I wasn't surprised when I saw a reply in my inbox mere seconds after hitting send.

How much are you willing to pay up?

I typed out a reply.

20,000 Col if you give it to me within the next fifteen seconds.

Three seconds later, she replied with, deal! :D, and an attachment containing the map data.

Thanks, here's your money, I replied, sending twenty thousand Col with my PM.

Pleasure doing business with you! :D

I finished our conversation with, as always, same here.

"Now, let's go find me a boss to solo."

I yawned deeply, finally realizing how tired I was.

"Well, I'll just save before the boss room and pick it up again tomorrow at club."

When I woke up the next morning and noticed my nightstand clock had stopped ticking, I bolted out of bed.

What time is it?!

Looking at the digital clock in the front room, I noted the time. I was late… very late.

"Damn it! Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

Suguha got up from the couch, saying, "That's for ignoring me last night!"

I then noticed something. The premonition is gone! Wait, does that mean… no!

"IDIOT!" I yelled, running out the door and slamming it behind me.

I ran as fast as I could to school, hoping beyond hope that Sachi was okay.

My hopes were completely destroyed by the scene before me.

A car had rammed into another one from behind, and medics were carrying three people into waiting ambulances. But the car in front wasn't just any car.

That's Sachi's parents' car! NO!

I rushed over to the medics, asking if the people who were being transported into the ambulances were the Takamachi family. I received a nod of affirmation.

No…

"Could you please tell me the hospital you're taking them to? I'm a good friend of their daughter, and I would like to visit her when I can," I said, my voice betraying no emotion.

The medic wrote down the address of the hospital and thanked me for my concern. I left, running as fast as I could. I wasn't running to get to school, however. I was running to get away from the bitterness and regret I felt, with no success.

Why?! Why wasn't I there?!

Before I knew it, I found myself at the school's kendo practice area.

Great, the one kind of place I never wanted to come back to. Stupid instincts…

One of the kids practicing walked up to me, saying, "What the hell is a nerd like you doing around here? Did you come to get your ass kicked?"

I don't need this right now. Why are they even practicing right now, anyway?

"Look, I'm not in the mood for this. I just want to be left alone right now."

He tightened his grip on the Shinai he had in his right hand, saying, "So you're scared? Chicken."

"I told you, I'm not in the mood for your crap right now!"

I began to walk away, but his hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"I didn't say you could leave!"

"Don't. Touch. Me," I said in a low, dangerous tone.

"Oh yeah, what're you gonna do about it?"

I whipped around, primal fury in my eyes. In one fluid motion, I grabbed his right arm with my left, twisted his hand to make him let go of the Shinai, and grabbed it with my right hand.

I pointed the Shinai towards him, saying, "Get the **** away from me and never come back, you got that? I don't wanna see you near me or any of my friends again, or you're gonna be in the hospital for a long time. Now, fetch!" I snarled, throwing the Shinai back to the training grounds.

Looking terrified, the boy ran away to get his practice sword.

Heh, he wasn't a challenge at all.

Word spread around fast about what I did to the boy in the kendo club. By the end of the day, whenever I looked at one of the bullies, they looked away in fear.

When I entered the clubroom, I noticed that everyone was there ahead of me.

"Hey guys…" I said, walking sluggishly to my computer.

"So… what happened that got you so mad at that guy? If we can help, then we will," Keita said.

"I wasn't really mad at him as much as… bitter inside. I just took it out on him. Of course, he did try to bully me."

"Why were you bitter?" Ducker queried curiously.

"It's… Sachi… Sachi got in a car accident."

Silence.

"Is she alive?"

"I don't know, Tetsuo… I don't know," I said, beginning to tear up.

. "Man, I'm sorry… I'm guessing you were there when it happened," Keita said, a sympathetic expression on his face.

"No… I got there right after it happened."

I can't stay here… there are too many happy memories of Sachi and everyone here.

"I have to go," I said, my voice cracking.

"I understand," Keita said as he watched me leave.

"See ya."

And with that, I left the Computer Research Club for good.

Ending A/N:

Wow… what a beginning! I typed this up in less than a collective day! Anyway, like I said in the summary, this is a Kiriharem. I was out of inspiration for my other projects so I decided to write this in the meantime. I might end up going all out and continuing this if you all like it, or even if I'm just inspired to do it.

Hmm… I wonder if Sachi died… just kidding! I already know what happened, for I am the almighty author!

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this little story. Now, it's time for the line that no one cares about: I don't own Sword Art Online or any of its characters!

See ya!