*sigh* Time for the disclaimer, again. I do not own Sword Art Online, or any of the characters, yadda yadda yadda, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
It was the beating of Sachi's heart. The one thing which assured me that she was alive, the one thing which lulled me to sleep. It was the sound that kept me alive inside.
It had been a little over a year since Sachi had been trapped in that blasted game, put on the NerveGear which now threatened her life. My own life had become empty without her. She was the shy and quiet one, I was the loud and bold one, but we survived off each other, in a sense. Without her, I didn't feel like laughing anymore, being loud or open or bold anymore. How could I be, with her always so close to death?
I gently touched her cheek, being extra careful not to shift the NerveGear. Her cheek was soft and slightly warm as usual. Her hand was the same, but instead of grasping mine like she usually would, it rested limp within mine.
"Oh, Sachi..."
A lump formed in my throat as tears welled in my eyes. I didn't want to cry, but once the first warm, salty tear leaked out, I just couldn't hold the rest in. They streamed down my face, dripping onto the sheets.
"You've got to live, okay? I don't care what you do within the game, so long as you live... Please..."
But, as our father always said, there is no reason to worry about things which have yet to occur. Angrily, I wiped my eyes, cursing at how I had let myself break like that. Slipping on my coat, I bid her sleeping body farewell and left the room, making my way towards the elevator and balancing from foot to foot as I waited for it. At that moment, I spotted another girl walking down the hallway towards me. She seemed to be about my age, if not a little older.
"Hi," she said, putting on a smile, but her words were tinged with sadness. She probably also had a loved one stuck in SAO.
"Hey," I replied. "Paying someone a visit?" At that moment, the elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. I pressed the button for the ground floor.
"Yeah, my brother Kazuto. By the way, I'm Suguha Kirigaya."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Sora Miyamoto. I was just visiting my sister."
A sort of grim silence set over us, and we didn't talk the rest of the way down. Eventually, with a little shake, the doors opened and we stepped out.
"Bye."
"Have a good evening."
I braced myself as I stepped outside into the frigid winter air. With gloved fingers, I unchained my bike and mounted it, pedalling furiously. The sun was setting, street lights were slowly coming to life. Another night Sachi wouldn't return home.
"Miyamoto-san, stay her for a moment please."
I sighed quietly as I waited for the others to leave.
"Yes, sensei?"
He looked at me sympathetically for a moment. "Your grades are steadily declining, Miyamoto-san. You used to be a top student, now I fear I may have to give you a C this term. You have to hold your chin up and keep going, no matter what."
"Not like you know what I'm going through though," I blurted.
"Actually," he replied calmly, thankfully letting my disrespectfulness slide, "I have every idea what you're going through. My boy is only a few years older than you. He's also trapped in that game."
"Oh, I'm very sorry, sensei."
"There's no problem, as long as you get back to work. Don't let unfortunate events weigh you down. That is all, you may go."
I bid him farewell and stepped into the corridor, where I was greeted by a familiar voice.
"Miyamoto-sempai!" It was my friend Megumi, who was in the year below me.
"Hello, Megumi-chan." I shot her a smile, but she seemed upset. That was unusual. "What is it?"
"I..it's Neru-sempai. He's... he's..."
She didn't have to say it. I ran to her, enveloping her in a tight hug as she cried into my shirt. I didn't know anyone by the name of Neru, but I could feel Megumi's pain.
"Akita-chan is devastated," she sobbed. Akita Suzumecki was Megumi's best friend, and the small girl relied heavily upon her.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Megumi-chan... I'm so sorry... So..."
That blasted game...
When I entered Sachi's room, the first thing I heard was the rapid bleeping of her heart monitor. Panicking, I scrambled for the little romote and pressed the button on it in order to summon the nurse. I grabbed Sahi's hand, holding it close to my heart.
"Sachi..." I paid no head to the nurse and medics who burst through the door. Who was I kidding, not like they could really do anything.
My own heart was speeding up. I was scared... She was scared...
And then, it happened.
It was like time slowed down. Her heart returned to a more normal speed before slowing down additionally.
"Sachi! One-chan! Please! No, no, NO!"
The beeps became a single sound.
The medical staff rushed to my sister, tearing off the NerveGear before performing CPR and hooking her up to a defibrillator. But her heart rate continued to be displayed as a straight line. It was all in vain.
Sachi... My dear big sister... was dead.
Roughly a year later...
The roses pricked my hands through the gloves. Why hadn't I thought of wrapping them in something? Since her death I hadn't been able to think straight at all anymore.
I slowly stumbled across the stumps of grass as I headed towards her grave...
Just like a parent shouldn't have to bury their child, a girl shouldn't have to bury one of her siblings, especially not at such a young age.
Her grave was probably the best kept. It was elaborate, upon my insistence, since I wanted to place all of Sachi's favourite things there. I constantly dusted, relit the candles and replaced the flowers. Perhaps others had felt my pain, since no items had been stolen. God forbid anyone stole anything. If they did, I would track them down, and I would... I would...
Deflated, I dropped to my knees in front of her grave. The previous flowers were already half-dead, covered in a thin layer of frost. The first winter since Sachi's death... Sticks and stones jutted into my knees, but I couldn't care less. Nothing could hurt anymore. I was already hurting too much.
It was then that I noticed that someone was behind me. It was a boy who looked about sixteen, with black hair and eyes. In fact, the whole of him seemed to be black themed: he wore a black coat and gloves, black pants and black shoes.
"W... who are you?"
He turned to me. "Oh. I'm sorry. Is this...?"
"Answer my question..."
"I'm Kazuto Kirigaya. Pleased to make your acquaintance. And you are?"
Kazuto Kirigaya... the name sounded familiar. Oh, that's right. The girl I met in the hospital one day. Suga.. Sugo... ? Whatever it was. She had mentioned the name. Her brother, who was stuck in SAO... Stuck like my sister... And now he was out...
"I'm Sora," I said bitterly.
"This is... Sachi's grave, right?"
"E..eh? How do you know that?"
He leaned back a little, hands up, as if scared I was scolding him.
"Well, apart from the name which is engraved on the tombstone, I met Sachi within the game... I wanted to pay my respects to her."
"Oh..."
He reassumed his previous stance. The normal one. "Did you know her as well?"
"She was my sister."
"Her sister?
... I'm so sorry for your loss."
After a moment of silence I stood up and turned my gaze to him. "So you say you knew her within the game?"
He nodded. "I was a part of her guild at one point."
"What happened?" I blurted desperately. "How did she die? Tell me!" I grabbed him by the collar as I felt my eyes become wet.
Gently he prised my hands away. "We stumbled into a trap... I was stupid and foolish. I didn't tell them my real level."
"What are you talking about? Your real level? What do you mean about that?"
"They didn't believe me," he continued, paying no heed to my previous questions. "There was no escape. All guild members died..."
"E... except you..."
His guilty expression deepened.
"Except you!" The tears which had been welling in my eyes spilled. But now they were angry tears.
"You could have saved her! Why didn't you save her? Why didn't you save my one-chan?" I shouted at him mercilessly.
"I... I... promised her I would, but I couldn't fulfil my word... It's a regret I will live with until the end of my days."
"Just a regret? Just a regret! It's a scar I'll carry for the rest of my life! And I'm younger than you!"
I knew I wasn't being fair, but I couldn't help it. Contrary to what I expected however, he just took the blame, and that's possibly what angered me the most.
"How can you live with that? It's... it's..."
I slumped to my knees, sobbing. Gently, he knelt down in front of me and enveloped me in a tender hug. "I'm so sorry..." He planted a light, big-brotherly type of kiss on top of my head as I gushed buckets of salty sadness. The one who could've saved my sister and didn't. He was the one who survived in the end. I loathed him with all my being. And yet...
His presence comforted me. It made me feel safe. Undoubtedly, Sachi had felt the same. Except she must have trusted him, looked up to him, been friends with him. And if Sachi had done that, as she probably had, then I would, too.
For Sachi's sake.
A/N: Okay! Well, again, sorry for any errors, and anything similar.
Since I don't know Sachi's name, and I don't think anyone does since it wasn't on the wiki, I took the liberty of pretending that her first name was indeed Sachi, and made up her last name.