Enter
Disclaimer: Sword Art Online and its adaptations were created, and are owned by Reki Kawahara. This includes the original story plot, characters and events. I do not own the rights to any aspect of SAO; fan-created material is possible, within the respect of the original writer/author.
Summary: "My name is Ryōtarō, Tsuboi. My intentions for playing SAO are to find friends and develop close bonds with them. Only then do I believe I can truly become strong as a man." / Rated M for Suggestive Themes and Language. Contains Slash. One-Shot. Enjoy!
Decisions
Just a minute...
"...oi!"
*ring* *ring*
Spare me a minute, huh?
"Ah! Get up already, or else I'm going to kick this d—"
"Wait!" my mind rushed as the rattle of the door cranked open. There, revealing his ugly mug in front of me with wide eyes that I had hoped my warnings could avoid.
"What in the hell Ryōtarō!" Takuma roared, slapping his hand over his eyes with his fingers splaying some at the sight. The sight of me.
"Fuck! The door comes loose sometimes, I told you!" I barked back and pushed through the clutter on my bed for the boxers that I abandoned last night. My cheeks were still on fire at the thought of being openly exposed to a friend, but I could only continue to hope that Takuma wouldn't think much of it. Quickly, I slid the boxers on, but instantly my eyes zoomed in on the crumpled piles of tissues around me. My heart sank.
"What were you up to last night, if you don't mind me asking?"
I shot him a glare and gritted my teeth together. I did mind.
"I couldn't sleep until early this morning, as if it isn't obvious!" My tone heightened some while I stumbled out of bed, reaching for Taku-kun's shoulder to push him out of the room and into the hallway, but he shifted himself away, taking the hint.
"I understand, I understand." he mouthed sporadically, watching where my hands were located. I pushed them back against my side as the heated feeling in my cheeks and chest returned. "I'm sorry." I muttered gently.
"Hey. No damage" he smirked some and pointed down the hallway.
"I'd appreciate it if you washed up some though. You smell kind of funky."
Hearing that made me chuckle briefly. I nodded and trailed off towards the shower before stopping a moment. "It's coming out in 3 days, right?" The reason for my sleep-deprivation kicked back in—Sword Art Online. A brand-new MMO to players in my area where it was said to be almost revolutionary in gaming and social networking alike.
"You got it. Yu-san and Kouki are already getting the stuff together. You still up for the 3 day camp out?" he replied briskly, pushing the hair from his eyes. I smirked and lifted my thumb up to him in agreement. "You bet! Let me get ready!"
I quickly dropped my drawers again and sighed at the sight of myself naked while bending over onto the bench to begin washing. The pungent odor of last night's self hand-job was still evident all over my right palm. My arm slid across my stomach for a second, taking note of where I managed to 'finish up.' "Aye, Tsuboi..."
At last I finished rinsing myself off, standing up for a second to dry myself in each area while my ear twitched at the sound of knocking.
"Oy, Ryōtarō-kun! You almost out?"
"We got here a moment ago. Geez, your room smells like a sex prison!"
That was two strikes; my spirit was wounded even further. What friends they were. . .
"Ah. . I'll be out in a second." I muttered back, quickly slipping on a white shirt, boxers and black slacks. My eyes glanced at the mirror in front of me for a second, my face was prickly, but I didn't have time. We had to get there pronto.
"See? Didn't take too long." I announced, sliding open the door while witnessing the sight of Yudai brandishing one of my magazines in his grubby paws. Coughing, I swiped it away from him and tossed it onto my bed before shutting the door, glaring as it didn't slide shut the entire way.
"You might want to get that fixed." Kouki snickered. I quickly jabbed him on the shoulder before we traveled off to the corner where they would be selling the software. I was in charge of one of the backpacks we hoped contained what was needed for the next three days. After some walking, I noticed the guys were also a little more lazy-eyed then usual, and Yudai-kun's hair which was almost always tied up into a pony-tail was laying about in strains down his neck and back.
"Did you get any sleep?" I whispered to him, looking away for a moment to make sure there weren't vehicles when we crossed.
"Not exactly, Tsu-kun." Yudai grunted, and smiled in my direction. "Too excited. Y'know?"
"I know what you mean." I said returning the smile. "I kind of wish we all could've gotten that exclusive beta pass when it was available though."
"Tell me about it." Takuma piped in. "Word on the net is that there are already a few players grinding it out. Examining the playing field."
"Ruining the experience for the rest of us, probably." Kouki frowned, quickly pointing to a group of about 4 men already waiting out in line. "Looks like we made it just in time."
That was the word on the street.
The select-few Beta-testers that had managed to get their way into the game early had already played through the beginning multiple times, presumably in hopes of aquiring all the good stuff from the get go once the game was released. Takuma was supposed to be a Beta-tester, but he came down with a fever and it was suggested that he not play. I plain missed out on the opportunity, but I wasn't nearly as disappointed. I was hyped. I was still going to play the game, even if I had to wait a little more then the rest.
So we waited it out.
Luckily, it wasn't that cold here in these parts of Japan, but I was lucky Kouki packed another jacket, just in case.
"As long as I get dibs on those magazines, sometime." he winked. "That one girl was calling out to me."
We settled on a friendly agreement, and after that we brought up discussion over character models and names. We were all a little out there compared to what we really were; I mainly harped on about my age and light skin, wishing it were a little tanner. Red hair would be my preference, and I'd definitely want it long, like traditional samurai.
The discussions turned into long, drawn out raves. At one point, we included the guys waiting in the line next to us in hopes that we could kill the time, but three days felt like forever.
The sun rose. The sun set.
On the second night, before the day, we stayed up longer than usual.
"Sorade...So what interested you in Sword Art, Mando-san?" I asked the man waiting out in front of me, leaning back with my head against my backpack as I stifled a yawn.
"I'm in it for the experience." he turned to stare at me, replying with a grin.
"It was worth it. Coming all the way from L.A, I mean."
"—And your Japanese isn't half-bad." I let him in on his dialect, causing him to smile briefly.
"Thanks Tsuboi-kun."
I lifted my thumb up at him and closed my eyes for a moment. Los Angeles
"My father's family is from Spain. Spent some time in California too." I muttered gently, reaching across for the last piece of pocky, but quickly found only disappointment at the feel of an empty box.
"Here." Mando prodded my cheek with the pocky he had carried in his hand. "I guess that explains the hint of Yankee in your voice."
"Haha." I chuckled at that. "I grew up here in Japan, but you're right. I always sound a little off when it comes to Japanese."
"So what's your reason for wanting to play Sword Art Online?"
I snapped the stick of pocky in half and handed him the better end.
"Friends." I replied confidently. "I'm hoping if I make some on there, that it'll be easier to make some in real life."
"What about girlfriends?" Mando tilted his head and smirked.
"That too." I blushed and caught myself looking down.
"What about you?"
"I have one, a boyfriend, I mean.." Mando looked at me for a moment before I could read the embarrassment off of his face.
"I don't mind both, myself." I admitted to my day-long acquaintance, causing him to look back with mild relief. "That's good. I was kind of hoping I didn't have to hide it from so many people."
"You won't have to hide it online." I smiled, raising my hand to point at the group of sixty or so people behind us. "I mean, there isn't same-sex marriage yet, but I'd imagine if you liked someone, then the gender wouldn't matter."
Mando nodded and curled over on his side, resting his head on the sidewalk.
"You tired?" I asked quickly, hoping that our talk hadn't exhausted the guy. I had barely met him, but I could tell he was one of those people who could grow on you in a second. He was a bit more muscular than I was, darker skin, and hair that slid off to one side, jet-black. I couldn't tell if I felt envious at that point...or just jealous.
"A little bit." he spoke back in a whisper. "About three more hours."
"Here." I slid my backpack from behind me and placed it under his head, leaning against him for just a moment, almost catching that distinct smell of cologne on him before he cleared his throat and chuckled. "You don't have to."
"I want to." I smiled and leaned back down with my arms slide behind my neck, looking up at the exhaust-covered sky.
"Thanks...Klein. That's a good name for you."
"Klein." I repeated it quickly before my eyes dimmed, falling asleep abruptly.
I dreamt about him that night. Pictured the way he described to us with a cottage that had me inside it. I made out his smile and instantly felt my heart race. It was one of those dreams where you could walk forward, but you'd never manage to catch up to the person.
"Not again...Ryōtarō!"
"Wha...H-Huh!?" my eyes shot open at the angry faces looking down at me. I shot up on my knees and almost instantly collided into something hard. A stomach.
"You're up next Tsuboi-kun." Mando grinned, pulling away gently until I shot to my feet and ran up ecstatically into the shop. "One NerveGear..kudasai." I bent my head down at the group of angry people having to wait for me outside.
"You were definitely the talk of the town for a second." the kind-looking woman chuckled and picked through a few boxes before returning back to me.
"This is your NerveGear. Read the manual, word-for-word, and don't forget to take frequent breaks." Her eyes shot up into mine. "I would recommend keeping a close eye on your sleep patterns, Ryōtarō-sama."
"Ah...Right. Yes." I chuckled abrasively at her suggestion, scratching the brim of my nose before taking the package. "Thank you." I bowed and exited the shop immediately.
"Don't leave without us, eh!?" Takuma growled.
"Don't worry!" I assured him, wanting to search for Mando in the meantime.
"Over here!" his voice traveled, causing my head to turn. The fella was waving me down, accompanied by two other guys who look around my age, if not older.
"I got mine." I raised the big package slightly. The guy to his right chuckled.
"So is this the guy?"
"He is kind of cute..." the one on the left elbowed Mando. He huffed and looked away.
"Did I miss something?" I asked, slightly bewildered by their actions.
"Not really. It's nice to meet you." the right man reached his hand out, waiting for me to grasp it. I quickly shook it and found him smiling. "I'm Javier."
"Lucas." the other male added.
"I'm Armando's friend..and Lucas there is his older brother. We all plan to play Sword Art Online together."
"That's great. A party?"I asked, crossing my arms as I pictured them three making a pretty rough team to be reckoned with.
"Yeah. You plan to make a party with those guys?" Lucas pointed behind me at my friends walking off back to their apartments.
"H-Hey! I shouted, about ready to run off after them before remembering that I had wanted to ask Mando for his screen name.
"It's going to be Solace." he approached me from the side. reading my thoughts. "Solace, Starfall and Sakuya."
"If it doesn't work out.." I whispered slightly.
"Then you know where to find me, or I'll find you. Hurry up after them." Mando grinned, leaning into my ear quickly. "I never had a boyfriend. Please look me up sometime?"
I blushed, looking to him quickly with a heavy heart before nodding.
"You have my promise." I responded, leaning into him with a hug before I trudged after the three idiots.
And that's when we all decided to venture into Sword Art Online. All for similar reasons, but some very different ones as well. There, I found myself alone before I met up with Kirito-kun, who was nothing but great help when I felt clumsy in learning even the basics.
Kirito reminded me of Mando in a way.
Then later that day, when the death count was announced, and the remaining players were announced to still be playing a game that couldn't be left, I froze.
"Solace" was there above us, with his brother and friend, displayed in red. Inactive.
Author's Note: I've been thinking about writing this for the character Klein awhile back now, and I ultimately haven't decided if I wanted to pursue any further with it. I felt like his character needed a reason other than entertainment and friendship to push him into this world. What do you guys think? Should I continue, and if so, what would you like to see? Thanks for reading, and please review. Gracias.