Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Summary: Kagome took a deep breath, "If it were just me then it wouldn't be a problem." Seeing his confused expression she continued, "Unlike before, I now have someone I need to protect."
Pairing: Klein/Kagome
Broken Stone
Chapter One: Kindness
Kagome stood patiently outside of a very inconspicuous edifice. It was short, square and made up entirely of gray brick. There were only a handful of windows making it appear very dark inside. To many this place looked like a normal shop that was nestled between two major veins of traffic. However it wasn't normal. Not at all. This very shop was only one of a select few locations that had the coveted Sword Art Online available for sale. Souta had been going on and on about how amazing it would be to try the game out. So, as the wonderful big sister she was, Kagome took it upon herself to take her place up in line and wait her turn to obtain not one, but two copies of the popular game. Everything was working out pretty well since this location was only a few blocks away from their family's shrine.
She turned her cerulean gaze up towards the darkening sky. It was the night before Halloween and here she was waiting in line. SAO, as the hardcore gamers preferred to call it, wasn't scheduled to be released for another six hours. The young woman pushed herself up on her tiptoes to peer above the heads of the crowd ahead of her. Despite her early arrival there had already been a line forming outside of the building. So she grabbed the next spot and waited. Still, it seemed as if the line was simply building in front rather than the back. Dark eyebrows knitted in frustration. Were people already cutting?
The balls of her feet ached as a small hunger headache began to form behind her eyes. Stupidly, she had decided to undergo this endeavor alone. Most of the groups that had come as early as she had brought either friends or family or even both along. They had been taking turns 'holding down the fort' while members of their groups would wander off and occasionally bring back food for the rest. A low growl from her stomach echoed loudly in her ears. A flush of embarrassment cross the ex-miko's face.
"Whoa, you must be starving by now!" A man behind her commented. The blush painted on her pale cheeks turned no less than five shades darker. Kagome was quick to turn on her aching heel to face the unwelcomed observer. "Been here nearly all night and hadn't seen you eat anything." The man commented, a gentle smile on his face. Azure eyes quickly noted that he was fairly tall. Although lean he had an air of masculinity that followed him; especially with the small tuft of hair on his chin. He held out his hand, "Here, you can have this." Within the stranger's grasp was a small back with the label Sunbuck's on it.
"I appreciate the offer but I have to decline." Kagome waved her hands and polite rescinded the offer. It wasn't that she didn't want the food. In fact her body burned and screamed for the chance to fill its stomach up with something of value. Instead she kept her eyes focused on the unusually kind face smiling in front of her. After spending so many years in the Feudal Era she had grown suspicious of small acts of kindness. Those were almost always the precursor to unsavory demands. Even if this time period was slightly more tamed, her survival instincts had yet to dissipate.
The man laughed, "I didn't poison it or anything. Go ahead and take it. You need it more than I do." The dark haired woman was about to deny the accusation when a low growl rumbled from her belly. The blush returned in full force. Reluctantly, she plucked the brown paper package from his hands. Kagome gave a small bow of appreciation before opening the bag. Inside was the most delicious looking blueberry muffin she'd ever seen. Her mouth watered and she quickly, although consciously, devoured the breakfast item with vigor. The man's smile grew wider, "See? Doesn't that feel better?" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I'm Ryoutarou by the way."
Kagome gently wiped her face, "Kagome. Thank you very much for your kindness." She bowed before him again. Many of the manners she'd learn from her previous adventures had yet to go away as well. Perhaps they never would.
The red head laughed nervously, "No need to be so formal. Besides it's best to stick together in situations like these, no?"
The dark haired woman allowed a small smile to cross her face, "I suppose so." The pair turned their attention to the swelling crowds before them. Groups of three or four had quickly doubled to six or eight. One particular group that had been eight strong from the get go had nearly tripled to twenty-four. Two brows twitched in unison.
Kagome pointed a pale finger at the people in front of them, "Should we call in the line guards?" Several officers stood stiffly at the front of the line. Six had flanked either side of the entrance with three per side while ten more monitored the movements of the people waiting to get in.
Ryoutarou shrugged, "Nah, we've still got a while to go. It's likely that many of those guys are just there to visit. Besides, it wouldn't do any good. The guards are just here to make sure no fights break out." The red head released a deep sigh. "The last time I was at one of these midnight releases everyone at the front of the line broke out into a huge brawl. So the release got shut down and no one could get their games until a few days later after all the store's glass was replaced and merchandise accounted for." He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes in an expression of sincere thought. "So confronting them isn't much of an option either."
Kagome sighed as her form hunched, "So you're saying that we're royally screwed?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Ryoutarou scowled. As much as he didn't like the thought, it was true. With such a limited amount of copies of SAO being released the chances of this store having enough for all of them was slim to none. His shoulders drooped. Well this was going to suck. Still, he held out enough hope to remain rooted to his spot.
He opened his eyes and for the first time took a moment to look at the young woman he just helped out. She was rather cute, he noted. Kagome, he remembered her name, was currently playing with her hair by threading it through her fingers. For a woman who had been out all night by herself she didn't seem all that scared by the prospect of being alone in such a large group of men. The majority of the crowd were men in their early to mid twenties like himself. They had swarmed in large crowds and even a few of them were jostling with each other for the right to stand at the front. One of the officers moved from his post and quickly put a stop to the feuding males before it got out of hand.
"So, you a big fan of online games?" Ryoutarou started, attempting to make small talk with his new companion. His current friends had gone off temporarily to get some evening coffee for themselves while he held their spot. They'd been gone for nearly two hours now so he was getting rather bored. Plus, how could he not take up the offer to chat up a cute girl? This would likely be the only chance he got after they returned. So he decided to take advantage of that.
Kagome shrugged, "Nah, not really but my brother is a massive fanboy of them. He's been raving non-stop about this game so I figured I'd do him a favor and get it for him." A small smile pulled at her lips, "Well for him and for me too. I thought it'd be a good way to spend time together. Kami knows we hadn't been able to lately."
Kagome turned the full force of her smile onto the kind stranger, "Thankfully I already got my NerveGear a few weeks back. Managed to hide it from Souta by storing it away in the shed. He's none the wiser to my plans."
Ryoutarou felt his cheeks heat a tiny bit. He'd never had any siblings to call his own and had always had a deep connection to his parents. It was a relief to see someone else care for their family in a way that reminded him of his own.
"I take it you two are close huh?" He smiled back at her.
The dark haired teen nodded, "Yeah but we had kind of grown apart in recent years. I had my own obligations that I needed to tend to and he had his." She dropped her hands and casually placed them in lining of her denim pockets. "Although he was always there helping me out in the end. It's the least I can do for him. The little squirt."
The conversation milled on pleasantly. They mostly conversed about what they did in their daily lives. He divulged to her about his day job working in a manufacturing company. It was hard labor but it paid well. He'd gotten lucky in that the release was scheduled during one of his off days. He'd just called in sick a few days prior to prep for the release. Kagome had laughed at his enthusiasm and stated that she'd gone through the hassle of driving out at night and going to the only shop in town that sold the NerveGear that was open twenty-four hours. It'd been a strange experience for her but one that left her feeling excited at the end of the night. She also mentioned about her chosen career path.
"So you want to teach? What age group?" The red head prodded slightly. So he was curious, give him a break. It'd been a long time since a girl had actually talked to him for more than five minutes without cursing at him or slapping him.
"Honestly, I'd like to teach high school." She stretched her arms high above her head, completely missing the shocked expression of his face.
"Teenagers? The most rowdy bunch and you want to teach them? Oh boy, you've got some guts there. I'll give you that." The young man paused as she let out a hardy laugh.
"But that's the whole point! It's a job only the strong can do." Kagome gave him a light-hearted wink. "I've had my share of bad days when I was around that age. I could've used someone to help guide me down a better path. So I thought to myself, why not be that person for someone else?" She turned around to face him fully, her dark hair fluttering with the October wind behind her. "This way I can do something that I love while making a difference at the same time." Ryoutarou cocked his head to the side as he watched her face immediately darken. "Although that might be for some time. I'm still rather far behind in my studies."
"That's not too hard to fix. A few years studying your ass off and you'll be a teacher in no time. You're still young, why worry about something like that?" He answered freely. Kagome stopped as she carefully considered this stranger's words. It was true. She'd had more setbacks than most but she wasn't old by any means. In fact she was barely breaking barrier for the age of legal drinking. She'd only started feeling down on herself when she'd realized how far behind she'd fallen in comparison to her peers. All of whom had not had the wonderful experience of travelling back in time for several years and fighting blood thirsty youkai on a daily basis.
She smiled kindly, "Maybe you're right." Perhaps she'd been too hard on herself. The pair fell into a comfortable silence. The crowd around them dulled into a mild chatter in comparison to the loud roar of excited incoherent ramblings that'd been heard before.
"Ryou!" A couple of masculine voices called out. There were five of them in total approaching in a small group. The red head waved them down but did not move from beside her. They all greeted each other warmly as the men patted each other on the back. "Thanks for holding it down for us man! Why don't you go grab yourself some caffeine as well? You look dead tired!" And it was true. After several hours of standing in line and with the sun setting, they only had a few more hours left before all of the local coffee shops would close. This would be the last call for his shot of energy.
"Yeah sure thing," He turned his attention to Kagome. "You want to come with me? We'll hold your spot so don't worry about that." The young woman's face flushed at the sudden attention that was drawn to her. The ex-miko's first reaction was to frantically wave her hands in front of her face and decline the offer. This time it wasn't because she suspected him but because she felt the offer too kind.
"Oh no, you don't have to do that!" She started but Ryoutarou would hear none of it.
"It's no big deal. Don't worry about it. Besides you look even more tired than I do." He smiled as she flushed even darker. His friends also took up his cause.
"Don't worry miss, we'll make sure you get your spot back." A semi stern looking man with a parted mustache and beard soothed.
"Yeah no problem!" A youthful yet tall young man chirped eagerly.
Kagome sighed in defeat, "I guess I can't argue with that. Alright then, let's get going." She adjusted her purse over her shoulder as Ryoutarou offered her his hand. She gently took it and balanced her weight against his grip as she stepped off the steep curve from which they were standing. Their hands dropped afterwards.
"So where to?" The young woman inquired as they eyed the line rapidly winding around the block and heading towards another bustling intersection.
The red head tapped his index finger on his chin, "Well the Sunbuck's around here is going to be absolutely insane with that line. So we should probably head to the one just a few blocks down."
Kagome nodded, "That sounds like a good idea to me." They commuted to their destination in a comfortable silence. It was rather strange. Ever since the end of her relationship with Inuyasha she hadn't really found anyone else that she'd been comfortable with. The way things had ended between them left her emotionally scarred and wary of entering any other relationship. She hadn't even gone out on a single date in the few years she'd been back in this era. But now here she was walking along with a man she barely met to a coffee shop and was about to get a drink with him. When had the world turned over on its head?
"Here we are!" Ryoutarou announced, flashing her a wide grin. She stopped and glanced at the shop. Recognition lit up her eyes as she tried not to break out into a laugh. Now this was ironic!
The light chiming of the door announced their arrival. Not even two steps in, Kagome was bombarded with eager greetings and enthusiastic questions.
"Kagome! Where've you been hiding?" A short, sandy haired woman whined as she moved from behind the counter to greet her old friend. "After you left things got so boring! How am I supposed to entertain myself now?" The woman pouted as she placed her hands on her hips and scowled.
Kagome laughed, "Sorry about that Michiko but I told you that I had to take off for a while to study."
"That doesn't mean drop off the face of the earth!" Michiko huffed. It was then that her hazel eyes settled on the confused man standing beside her. A sly expression crept its way onto the woman's face.
"Studying right? I'm sure that's what you were doing." The smirk playing upon Michiko's lips turned devious. "So tell me Kagome, how long were going to hide this handsome catch from me? It's not nice to keep secrets from your boss."
The dark-haired woman shook her head, "You're my ex-boss and I'm not hiding anything. Ryoutarou and I just met. We're just on a quick coffee run." She'd forgotten how much of a nosy nancy her old manager had been. The woman was pushing her mid thirties but frequently liked to butt her way into her employees' private lives—preferably their love lives. On more than one occasion Michiko had tried to set Kagome up on a few blind dates. Nearly all of her attempts resulted in massive failure. The ex-miko could spot a trap when she saw one coming. Blind dates included.
"Coffee run… hm, sure." The manager drawled with a knowing expression and saucy wink. Ryoutarou remained silent as he watched the exchange. It was fairly clear that there was some misunderstanding about their relationship but he wasn't one to complain. Especially if it did land him a date. The pair approached the counter as another girl peered over the display case and flashed his companion a bright smile.
"It's so good to see you again Kagome! The usual?" The petite brunette inquired as she pulled a medium sized cup.
Kagome nodded, "If you'd please, Emiko. Although I'd like to add an extra shot of espresso. I'm going to need the energy." Michiko suddenly looked as if she'd heard something scandalous. Azure eyes narrowed at the presumptuous woman. "Not like that either. We're waiting in line for that new game's midnight release. Still have a few hours left to go." She tapped her watch and sighed.
"You're into gaming? That's something I haven't heard before." The barista called Emiko countered. "Getting it for Souta maybe?"
Kagome smiled, "Well you're right on both accounts. Getting it for him and for me as well. Going to try something new for once." The brunette nodded as she turned her attention to the red head beside her old coworker.
"So what can I get you?" Emiko smiled kindly. In the two years she'd known Kagome, the woman had never once brought a male outside of her family to the shop. She briefly spoke of her failed relationship to an overbearing and possessive man but never went too far into the details. Even if what her friend said about their just meeting was true, it was clear that she was showing him some measure of trust that she hadn't to other men. Therefore, Emiko would do her best to ensure that the two had a good time while they were in the shop.
"Just something simple if you don't mind." He commented, watching as Emiko nodded and went to work on their drinks. Kagome stood beside him and pulled out her phone. It was a basic flip phone that had prepaid minutes with no extra applications. Souta had fussed at her when he first saw the contraption, demanding that she return it immediately and upgrade. In his words, the device was so far behind the technological curve that even dinosaurs would rather shit on it than use it. Kagome however found it to be exactly what she needed. She didn't have any use for any of those 'extras' that he deemed as necessary. She only needed to be able to contact a few people in this era and that was how she was going to keep it. Now, if only she learned how to properly text. Souta's attempts to teach her how had often left her frustrated and him on the ground laughing so hard that tears would gather in his eyes.
A message appeared on her phone from her mother. The poor woman was going out of her mind with worry and had settled on calling and texting her every hour to ensure her daughter's safety. When, after a minute, the Higurashi matriarch did not receive an answer, she called.
"I'm fine mom." Kagome answered swiftly. "Don't worry, I found a few people to stay with me tonight." Black brows furrowed into a deep crevice, "Oh come on, what do you take me for? I can handle myself. Yes I know, I love you too." There was an exasperated sigh. "You shouldn't stress yourself out so much. You'll give yourself more grays. Oh hardy har har, keep it up and I'll make you bald as well." Suddenly Kagome flushed as she heard her mother's reply. "Well if that's the case then should I go ahead and buy you a purple wig for Christmas? Ah, wait I think pink or baby blue might be better. Hm, not a good choice? Apple green it is with fire truck red streaks! Thanks mom, you're the best at this kind of stuff!" The woman laughed as she let up on her teasing. "Alright I get your point but seriously don't worry I'll be fine. See you later tonight okay? Love you too, bye." She flipped the object shut and turned her attention back to Ryoutarou.
"Sorry about that, she can be a bit overprotective sometimes." It came with a territory. After the 'Incident' as her family liked to call it, many precautions had to be put in place. One of which was checking in with either her mother or grandfather when she was out late. Kagome didn't mind it much though. They were never too intrusive and today was only an exception as she'd gone alone before her mother could stop her. She'd also had to remain home to keep an eye on their grandfather since his health had been failing lately.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. Besides, it's a good thing you two have such a close relationship." The red head grinned down at the woman beside him, "There isn't anything wrong with that." Kagome felt her cheeks flush. With Inuyasha it'd always been jealous glares and whines for attention. He didn't like anyone stealing her attention away from him, not even her family. It was a nice change of pace to meet a person who was secure in himself and his relationships with his family.
"Here's your order!" Emiko chirped as she handed the drinks off to the pair. Kagome grabbed hers as Ryoutarou picked his up simultaneously.
Michiko popped her head from behind the counter, "Now you kids come back again soon? You got that!" The sandy-haired woman pointed a long and delicate finger at the two. "That means no blowing off your shifts anymore! You start again tomorrow!"
The ex-miko laughed, "If you say so. I'll see you guys soon."
Ryoutarou sipped at his coffee as they trekked back to the ever-growing line waiting for them just around the bend. Kagome cupped her hands around the plastic cup, using the object to warm her cool hands. It wasn't that cold out just yet but the breeze was just enough to chill her fingers.
The crosswalk lit up and the two walked casually back towards the group of men that Ryoutarou had invited. As promised, they'd waited for them and even waved them down as they approached. The man stopped and offered Kagome his hand again as she stepped back up onto the roped off curve. She smiled at him appreciatively and took her spot in front of them.
The next several hours they'd spent conversing amongst one another. Kagome had learned that the men were old gaming friends of Ryoutarou's. They'd been guild mates in a previous online game they'd played and they were pretty stoked about trying out Sword Art Online. She returned the conversation and mentioned the brief escapades she'd had in her short experience of trying gaming—mostly offline. When she mentioned her brother's screen name though, there was a deafening silence.
"Wait, so your little brother is the Shita? Like the one from the Covenant of the Dragon?" The man with the parted mustache gaped.
"Yeah, well at least that's what he told me his name was online. Why? Is he some kind of big shot?" She pinned the men with a curious stare. The group shared a stunned look amongst each other.
"He was the top player of that MMORPG!" The youthful one commented as he stared at her in not so subtle surprise.
Kagome tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, he was playing that game a lot a little while back. I'm not that surprised that he made it so far. He was always good at games like that." She leaned forward and mentioned casually to the others, "Between us I think he's got some kind of good luck charm. I swear nothing can defeat that kid so long as he's got a control stick in his hand." The group laughed.
The rest of the night remained uneventful. It wasn't until fifteen past midnight rolled around that the crowd bustled in excitement and agitation. The officers at the front began to release people into the shop one group at a time. The process was slow and painstaking but it prevented the massacre that was waiting to happen had they'd not done it. Kagome took a deep breath as a middle-aged cop waved her through the threshold into the tiny shop. The workers all looked tired with dark circles under their eyes. The young man, mostly likely in his late teens, at the far end of the counter waved her over to his register.
"How many copies would you like?" He asked tonelessly, dark eyes dulled from sleep deprivation.
"Two please." She answered quickly. The worker turned around and grabbed two cases of Sword Art Online from under the counter. She swiped her card and finished her transaction swiftly. However before she left and slipped the boy a small yen note from the change in her purse. "Use it to grab yourself some food. You look like you need it." Kagome smiled. The teen's face lit up as a kind smile broke across his face.
"Thank you."
She nodded and quickly met up with Ryoutarou and his friends outside of the shop. The group gathered together and flashed their games to each other when they were approached by a camera woman.
"Would you mind if we filmed you for our segment?" The reporter inquired as she pointed her microphone at them. Kagome shrugged while the others nodded in their agreement.
"Alright now go ahead and stand together. Ah, I'll need you up front." The woman pulled Kagome forward and positioned her next to Ryoutarou. The pair smiled as they posed with their copies of the game. "Right in ten seconds we'll be live. Just smile at the camera and stay like that until I say otherwise okay? Good, now… three… two…" She moved her finger for the motion one. Seven pairs of wide grins and hands raising Sword Art Online high enough for all to see moved in unison. The segment only lasted a minute but left Kagome's cheeks hurting from the force of the smile.
She turned and gave Ryoutarou a kind one in return, "Thanks for doing all that earlier. You didn't have to." His friends wandered a short distance away but they were watching keenly.
The red head rubbed the back of his head, "Nah, it was no big deal." He paused for a short, awkward moment. "Although I was wondering. If you didn't mind, would you want to meet up online? It'd be a bit boring to just play solo or with a single person. Wouldn't mind meeting the notorious Shita myself too."
Kagome's smile quickly turned mischievous, "Oh, so you just want to meet your role model huh? Hm, I don't know. He's not one to give out autographs." It was total bullcrap. Her brother was an attention whore when it came to his accomplishments online however Ryoutarou didn't need to know that.
The man waved his hands frantically, "That's not what I meant! I mean, I'd like to see you again." His face flushed brightly. Well that had come off as more forward than he intended. Swiftly he tried to rectify his words. "As in, it'd be nice to hang out again sometime. Kind of like earlier." He trailed off. Damn it, he was screwing this all up.
Kagome laughed, "So basically you're asking me out to an in game date?"
"Uh…" Was all his brain could supply. Where the hell were all those one liners he'd polished so perfectly?
"I suppose that'll do for now. So the answer is yes, I'll see you online later today." She pulled out her phone and quickly opened up her dial screen. "What's your number? I'm going to give you a call so I can save your contact." Once they'd saved each other's information she bid them farewell. "See you this afternoon! I'll meet up with you after logging in!"
She made her way quietly back home. It'd been an uneventful walk but the promised meeting left Kagome excited for the time to pass. As she crested the top of the shrine's stairs she contemplated waking Souta early and presenting the new gift. A small smile spread across her lips. That would be a good idea but first she'd need to set up her NerveGear. The young woman made a quick turn and grabbed the console from the shed at the far end of the premises.
By the time she entered her family's home, her mother had fallen asleep on the couch while Souta sat hunched on the love seat. His face was pulled into a woeful pout while his shoulders slumped in sad defeat.
"What's with that look?" The azure-eyed woman teased. He cast a glare over at his sister.
"Why are you back so late?" He threw back at her. Kagome fought the urge not to laugh. He was always such a baby when it came to things like these.
"Oh I just finished running to the local game store." She presented her bag in front of him. The title of the game was teasingly translucent through the plastic. "Want to know what I got?" His eyes widened as his mouth dropped open.
The older sibling pulled one copy out and presented it to him.
"Happy birthday Souta." She grinned, handing him his copy of Sword Art Online. The teenager threw his arms around his sister as tightly as he could, thanking her profusely through his tears.
"Also, I got one for myself as well." She withdrew her copy as well. With a slight quirk of her lips she pushed her console box towards him. "Now would you mind helping me set up my NerveGear? You know I suck at technology."
Souta laughed, "Would I ever!"
A/n: For those confused, Klein's real name is Ryoutarou Tsuboi. In this story I want to refer to him by his real name during the few moments that they'll be in the real world. Their relationship will by no means be rushed. This is merely the first step in many. I simply wanted to build a base of trust between the characters here. It's something so simple but one that can occur everyday. There's been several times where just waiting in line I managed to form a few good friendships. So this is where I'm drawing my experience from. Let me know what you guys think, I really appreciate all the support!