SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online-Halloween Jam

by The Celestial Sky Dragon

Haru has rapidly become good at Gun Gale Online. He has even made himself some friends in game. However, he wishes to confess his feelings to his best friend and partner Kureha. He enters an annual Halloween Jam, a contest hosted by Zaksir and Valve. However he messes up, and now his friendship with Kureha is on the line. Will he win the Contest and her Heart? Or will he get shot?

1. Chapter 1

A/N:

Hello everyone...you might be wondering why I am starting another SAO Fic. Well it's because I want to write stuff for it but I don't feel like continuing either of the stories I got now. I wanted to continue Fatal Bullet, but I have to replay the game and get the DLC for me to actually continue. I'm also working on Danganronpa right now so I don't want to deviate time away from that for another story. That being said, this is going to be a five chapter story, as it is meant to be a Halloween special of sorts. I see a lack of stories where Kureha and Zeliska are used, don't get me wrong there are some out there but none that I find particularly interesting.

I wanted to pair up the Player Character with Kureha, which was why I started Fatal Bullet in the first place, as a means to share my own thoughts during the play through through Haru, the main character and my avatar for the game. Of course it was gonna get into crazy detail and shit. I'm quite knowledgeable about guns so I had a lot of them lined up for him. But I honestly don't want to continue a story at this moment. I know you guys are asking me to continue. While the main one wont, at least you'll get a little bit of continuation through this. So I do hope you like it. I wrote this a few days ago and was going to post it, but I was considering my options before going through with it. I am working on Morning Hope Academy and The School Life of Mutual Killing, I'm almost done with the prologue of one and am working on the fourth chapter of the other so I can write them in between. My aim is to write all 5 chapters before Halloween, with the final one being on Halloween. I do hope you enjoy this prologue of sorts, see ya!

Update: As of December 13th 2018, Kureha's real name, Kasumi has been replaced with her canon name Momiji

SAO Alternative

Gun Gale Online: Fatal Bullet

Chapter 1

Halloween Jam (Squad Jam)

xxx(SBC Glocken)xxx

It had been a few weeks since Haru's first fulldive. He still remembered, the day he ended up winning his AmuSphere 2, and started playing Gun Gale Online. The VRMMORPG based around guns, rather than swords or fairies. It had rapidly grown popular, especially after the recent Gold Rush update. Haru had been convinced to play the game by his best friend Momiji. Almost instantly, he became popular, for finding a rate item, an Arfa-sys unit that not only was rare, but was necessary to complete the upcoming SBC Flugel Mission. To say he was detested among the other players was an understatement. But he tried not to let that stuff bother him much. He just wanted to play the game to the best of his ability. He had recently accessed the Old South area of the game. In order to progress toward the next area, the Forbidden Forest, he'd have to complete a few missions. So far no one had found the necessary items to move on, so he doubted anyone would reach the forest any time soon. It was supposed to be the place where the SBC Flugel would spawn, so even if they accessed the forest, they wouldn't be able to enter the ship.

Haru had grown quite strong in levels over the last few days. Since he was a Senior in high school, and the work was easy, he had a lot of time to play online. He wasn't a noob player anymore, having grown to level 44 since he had started playing the game back in early August. He owed his squad for that. His best friend Kureha had been helping him level up whenever they weren't on a mission. There was Zeliska as well, who always found information on new rare weapons or outfits, almost as if she had insider information. Of course there were his other friends, Kirito and Asuna, and their hefty squadron of people. Players that had been playing together for years now. He valued them all as equals and friends. There was also Itsuki who always joined in their party whenever he wasn't going anything, or hiding from his groupies. To say he had a lot of friends was an understatement.

Haru's avatar was styled completely different from how he normally looked. In GGO, he had light almost pale colored skin, and vibrant colored eyes. He had dark violet hair, in a spiky bob of sorts, though he wore a beret, so he didn't notice many of the spikes. He had an average build for an avatar, making him look almost like an average Joe. He was wearing an outfit that his friend Asuna had crafted for him. An Arfa-Sys M+. It consisted of a white shirt, with a small black tie. He was wearing a pair of black jeans on his legs, along with violet colored combat boots. Over it, he wore an armored jacket, violet in color, the inside of the sleeves were white, the top being black in color. The torso area was a dark violet, bearing a few markings on them. He wore a holster on his left leg, containing his side arm. He also had a phoenix painted under his eye, it was mostly for style, and he admit that it made him look a little more badass.

It had taken him awhile to get this armor, especially because he had to track down certain monsters for parts. However Asuna had been able to craft the garment for him, and he had been immensely happy with it. Eventually he'd have to give it up for stronger armor, but for now he would be able to enjoy it. It matched the one that his Arfa-sys, Hinata was wearing, though she had the female version in green. In fact, Hinata had a preference for the color green, going as far as customizing her weapons with the color. Her once brown hair was now a lengthy sky blue, reaching down past her waist. The AI had become a little sister of sorts, and she had become the center of the group, as everyone wanted to spend time with her and help her get used to other players.

While normally he'd be on a mission with friends, today he had logged in just to get some alone time. Sure he could have done this at home, as his little sister and his mother were gone. But he figured he could have some time to himself in another world. Gun Gale Online had become a sort of refuge for him. He wasn't lonely in this game, not anymore at least. He just liked coming to the observatory and looking out into the distance, his focus on the setting sun. He frowned a bit, leaning back against column behind him, resting his hand on his knee. He had been thinking a lot about his friends, however one person stuck out more than the others he knew.

It was of course his best friend Kureha. Her name was Momiji in real life, but he barely called her that these days. Even when he was talking to her in the real world, he always slipped and called her Kureha. She didn't seem to mind, in fact she preferred it. They never Face Timed or used Video Chat, as she didn't want to see him IRL. She had told him that seeing him would be a treat for when they beat the Flugel. Despite that, her avatar looked exactly like her in IRL, or so she claimed. So whenever it was that they beat the Flugel mission, he'd look forward to seeing her again. He found himself smiling a bit when he thought about his best friend, something he often did in GGO.

Despite her always yelling at him, she always did have a caring side. She had helped him in his early days of GGO, and he still had the gun she had bought him. It was something that he refused to part with, so he was going to keep it in his inventory forever. He had helped her get some nifty items too, including an outfit she had been pinning for. He remembered when she first equipped it. Her screams still echoing in his head, he had tried his hardest not to look, but found himself entranced by the pinkette. He figured that was when he truly started pinning after her. He had tried to keep it a secret, but Asuna had already realized what was happening, and had been silently rooting for him. He figured Zeliska knew about it as well, though with her he had a hard time figuring out what she thought about. She was rather secretive, and he did admit, the invisibility outfit did accent her body quite nicely.

He shook his head a bit, his thoughts drifting back to his pink haired friend. His smile turned into a frown as he continued looking out into SBC Glocken, the starting area of Gun Gale Online. He had grown used to seeing the spaceship city by now. Of course there were places he hadn't seen yet, and doubted he ever would. But Glocken was his home away from home. Watching the cars driving down below always calmed him down, especially when thinking about Kureha of all people. He sighed, placing a hand on his handgun, which calmed him down a bit.

"Why am I acting like this? I mean...do I really like Kureha? I haven't actually seen her in years though. This sucks...I don't want any of this to hinder us in missions." he thought, a frown on his face. The boy drew his side arm from his hand, looking it over.

It was a Sig Saur P226. As soon as he had gotten enough money for it, he had slapped his hand down on the panel and bought it. It was a sleek pistol, the slide being chrome in color. It had a threaded barrel, so he could attach a suppressor to it. He had attached a small optic sight to it, allowing him to get a more accurate aim on his target. The handle of the gun had also been modified, the once black handle was now a rich wooden color, with a light violet tinge to it. Aside from a few things he had changed on the inside, the spring mechanism and trigger being one, he had left it as he had gotten it. He pulled the magazine from it, glancing at the bronze bullets loaded into the magazine.

".45 Caliber Hydroshock Hollow Points. These things better fucking kill shit, or else I'll be real pissed off." he muttered dryly.

"Talking to yourself? That's mighty interesting Haru, I didn't think you found bullets to be good company." a familiar voice said, startling him a bit. He glanced up, sighing a bit when he saw the familiar blonde girl, who happened to be Kirito's little sister.

"Hey Leafy, I didn't know you had logged in."

"Kirito and Asuna are on a date IRL, and I had nothing to do. I was meeting up with Liz and Silica for a quick hunt. Are you doing anything? Maybe you wanna come along?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"Eh...I dunno...I kinda just wanted to look at the sunset." he said, a small frown on her face.

Leafa had become one of Haru's close friends. It was mostly due to the fact that she wanted to fly. Since she had been playing Alfheim Online, she had grown used to the Flight System. And since GGO lacked one, he used his Unlimited Fiber Gun to scale buildings with her. They usually did that whenever the two of them were alone, so he had grown used to her company. Not to mention she was good with an A.K. 47 so that always went well, especially since he was a Sniper and usually did better behind cover.

Leafa was wearing a rather unique outfit. She liked the color green, due to her origins as a Sylph in Alfheim. She was wearing a bright green sleeveless shirt, with a bullet proof vest over it, which bore a few pockets for ammunition. She was wearing a pair of tight fitting tactical pants, also bright green, with two white belts crossing around her waist. On her left leg, she had a holster, her side arm visible from within. On her right leg was an ammo pouch, filled with magazines for her rifle. She was wearing a pair of white armored boots, that she had gotten from a monster drop. He had been a little jealous of her for it, but the boots were for female players so he wouldn't have been able to wear them regardless. She tugged on her gloves a bit, glancing out at the setting sun.

"It is a beautiful sunset...but you do know the sun never sets here right? That's why there's night levels and stuff."

"I know that Leafy, I just...have a lot on my mind right now." he said, sliding the magazine back into his gun. He pulled the slide back, loading a round into the chamber before flicking the safety.

"Oh...is it about you liking your best friend?" Leafa asked, a small curious look on her face. The boy looked up at the blonde, frowning as he tightened his hold on his gun.

"I'm gonna shoot Asuna the next time I see her."

"So it is true, ha...Sinon owes me some ammo."

"You have a bet? God, is there anyone else that knows?" the boy asked curiously, causing the girl to giggle.

"Oh, only everyone except Kureha herself. You got some serious contenders though, Yuuki is a bit jealous of her. Rain has been a bit deflated too."

"Okay...I don't know how to feel about that but...whatever. You caught me Leaf, I'm sitting here because I don't know how to act around Kureha." he said firmly. The blonde girl sat down beside him, dangling her legs over the edge of the observatory.

"I know what that feels like...being in love with someone who won't like you back. I can sense a bit of apprehension in you, most likely confusion. If I've learned something, it's to get those feelings off your chest. It won't do you well thinking about them all the time, especially in a game where you can take a bullet to the face."

"You are right but...I just don't know how to approach her about it. I'm scared that if I do tell her, I might mess our friendship up. I care about her a lot, and I don't want to lose her." Haru admitted, as he glanced at his gun. He was holding it rather tightly now, his hands shaking a bit.

"Sometimes taking the plunge hurts too...I know what that also feels like. There was a time that I was in love with someone close to me. I thought he was my hero, my everything. He ignored me for awhile, and I thought that he hated me for a long time. But after that tragedy, I came to realize how much I cared for him. I told him my feelings, but he rejected me...said he had someone else in mind. It hurt, but I at least still have him in my life as my friend...that's better than nothing right?" she asked, her green eyes filled with happiness. Haru nodded, pressing his lips in a thin line.

"I suppose...but it would be really awkward after that. I just...don't want to risk anything."

"Hmm...well then I think I have a solution to your little dilemma. Did you hear about the Halloween Jam?" Leafa asked, causing the boy to furrow his brows.

"Halloween Jam?"

"So you haven't heard about it, even better. They're doing a Halloween themed competition tomorrow, since it's Halloween and all. Basically, it's a Squad Jam but with a theme. Since it's the first one they're doing they settled on a Zombie theme. Zaksir worked out a deal with Valve, and they've been working on a new updated campaign."

"Whoa what...no way, are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked, his eyes widening a bit.

"Yup! They're adding a Zombie mode to Gun Gale Online, the first update is going to be the No Mercy campaign of Left4Dead. To say everyone is excited is an understatement, even Kirito is overjoyed." Leafa said. Haru shot to his feet, a grin on his face.

"Who wouldn't? VR Zombies, and Left4Dead too? I've been waiting for something like this for years! God, me and Kureha used to play the shit outta that game. I modded that fucker so much that it looks like a shell of its former self! This is so exciting!" he said happily. He looked like a kid in a candy store, an expression of sheer joy on his face.

"It is, it's one of the reasons I logged in. I started a small squad with Silica and Liz so the three of us will be entering. I don't know how many slots are available, but if you wanna enter then I would do it now. All the people that do will get the Left4Dead update ahead of time." Leafa said. The boy quickly holstered his weapon, grabbing a hold of her hand.

"Come on, take me to the sign up thingie!" he said, pulling her along.

"Wah...hey it should be me pulling not you!" Leafa cried out. If this had been the real world, her arm would have likely been pulled out of its socket.

The two players ran into the Governor General's office, seeing all of the advertisements for the Halloween Jam. The familiar theme of Left4Dead playing loudly over the speakers. He looked at the holographic signs, announcing the anniversary of the 18 year old game, which was still popular in the world. Leafa pulled him along, taking him to the sign up area.

"Here you are, when you sign up you have to give you Squad name. Only the leader of the Squad can resign and if they do its a loss for the team. Normally, a Squad Jam is a Team Deathmatch, the last remaining Squad winning this event. But this time around, you'll be facing other Squads, labeled Survivors as well as Zombies. The first Squad that makes it to the extraction point at the top of Mercy Hospital and successfully gets evacuated wins the Jam." Leafa said, explaining the event to the boy.

"I see...it's kinda like the B.o.B. then?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, except it isn't a solo competition, rather a team based one. Your squad can have up to 6 people though. Along with Silica and Liz, we've asked Sinon to join us, since Kirito and Asuna are going solo, and Klein is going to work tomorrow. I'm not sure if Rain, Philia or Strea are entering though." the blonde girl replied. The boy shrugged, placing his hand on the prompt before him.

"Hmm...I guess this gives me an excuse to create an actual Squad. I know Kirito asked me to merge our groups together. But he'll have to wait until after this contest." he said, a small smirk on his face.

He looked at the questionnaire, quickly filling it up. He ended up naming the team, Young Blood Squadron. He had been listening to his favorite band, Fallout Boy earlier, and had decided on a whim to name it that. His eyes fell on the next part of the sign up, seeing the names for his teammates.

"Do I just enter the names of my friends here?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah...the girls were with me when I was signing up. If you don't have a Squad, as soon as you enter this sheet, a request is sent to your friends. You can also do the temporary Squad option, as soon as the Jam is over, the Squad gets disbanded." she said, pointing to the small button on the side of the sheet. He nodded, clicking that off.

"Okay then, I gotta add Hinata onto this. She is my Arfa-sys after all...okay, then I'll enter Zeliska because she owes me one and finally Kureha because if I don't, she'll shoot me." he said out loud, swiftly typing up the names of his closest friends. He had been debating on adding Itsuki into the Squadron, but knowing him, he'd likely go with his own Squad. After a second, he finished filling everything up, hitting the Enter Contest button at the bottom.

"Congratulations, and Thank you for partaking in our first annual Halloween Jam! A request has been sent to all participating members, the contest will begin tomorrow at 5PM. Good Luck!" a robotic voice said, reading the pop up that the boy had gotten. It had the symbol of Squad Jam on it, though the symbol had the word Squad crossed out, the word Halloween being written above it in blood. It also had a decayed look to it, with Valve's logo at the bottom.

"This is gonna be so cool! You better watch out Leafy, I'm not going easy on you!" Haru said, a grin on his face.

"Same goes to you, I'll try not to shoot you in the face. So I hope you do the same for me!" the blonde said happily, her chest bouncing a bit. The boy flushed, giving her a nod. Haru heard a beep, seeing a blinking message at the corner of his eye.

"I got a message, probably from Kureha." he said.

"Alright, I'll let you speak with them. I'm suppose to be meeting up with Liz and Silica soon anyway. Oh and Haru...don't be afraid to let her know how you feel okay? I'm sure she feels the same way."

"I know...thanks Leafy, for the advice and for letting me know about the Halloween Jam too."

"Sure, no problem! Let me know how it goes okay? You're my friend to so if you need anymore advice, come to me. I doubt Kirito can give good advice on this sort of thing, since he's married and all." the blonde said, earning a scoff from the boy.

"You know...one day I'm gonna ask him about how he snagged Asuna. She doesn't seem like his type and yet she adores him."

"That's...a hard story to tell...he'll share with you soon I'm sure. I gotta go, text me later okay?" Leafa said, giving the boy a wave as she took off. Haru watched her go for a second, half wondering how her outfit qualified as armor, since most of her back was exposed. He stopped questioning female armor the day he played Skyrim. He tapped the Message Icon, surprised to see the message was actually from Zeliska rather than Kureha. His eyes hovered over the text.

"Hello Haru, do you think we could meet up at the bar? Kureha and I have some questions. Regarding the competition you entered us in, we'll be waiting by the Billiards tables. Do not worry about Hinata, she and Daisy are together for the day."

"Shit...that didn't seem like a request, that seems more like a fucking order." he muttered, shuddering a bit. He closed the message, starting his way out of the Governor General's office, leaving behind the familiar music of one of his favorite Shooter's behind.

xxx

8 Ball was one of the more famous places in Glocken. It was a Bar where a lot of people usually came to hang out. The bar tenders and servers were NPCs, but they blended in with the crowds, making it seem a lot more natural. The first floor was filled with regulars, people who just wanted to catch up with friends, or were planning on Ambushing squads or going on Monster Hunts. The bar was huge, filled with all kinds of alcohol. Normally, Haru wouldn't drink but there were times he did get alcohol in game. Since he was Eighteen in real life, he was able to purchase it in the game. Of course, he only got buzzed from it. It still felt like the real deal though, so those who wanted to drink with no consequences drank to their heart's content. Those over 21 were able to get fully drunk from it. As the game was American, 21 was the legal age of purchase for alcohol. He still wondered why it was even implemented, when games like ALO served Mead and Sake to the people. Haru said nothing as he walked up the stairs, finding his two friends near one of the Billiards tables.

Kureha was leaning over the table, a cue stick firmly in her grasp. Her eyes were focused on the balls before her. With a single strike, the cue ball broke balls, sending them all in different directions. A few of them landed in pockets, while others bounced around the table. She was a pretty tall girl, only being an inch shorter than he was, and had long vibrant pink hair, tied into a side ponytail with a silver hair tie, which was glowing slightly. She had a mostly pink themed outfit, a short sleeved pink and white coat with white belts and black markings on it, along with a high collar, which was white in color and lined with black threads.

She was wearing a short sleeved halter top, which left part of her midriff exposed. She was wearing a mid length white skirt with black markings on it. On her legs she was wearing mismatched stockings, the right being black, while the left was a dark pink color, she also wore long knee high white boots. Across her waist, she had a large pink pouch, which she most likely used to keep her ammunition. She also had white gloves on her hands, which reached almost to her elbows. Haru noticed she didn't have her MP5SFK slung across her back, like she normally did.

His other friend Zeliska was leaning against the wall, her eyes firmly on the table before her. She was a bit older than Kureha and Haru, though neither of them knew how old she truly was. He guessed she was at least an adult, though looks could be deceiving at times. She was known as the Uncrowned Queen of Gun Gale Online. She would join squads, only to leave them right after. Though that was more recently, she was known as a player that was 100% solo. It was how she was able to get her own Type X Arfa-Sys Daisy. She was the one who often times told them of new events, missions or weapons that came into the game with each patch. It was a bit odd that she was readily giving them that information. Then again, she mostly made them work for it.

She had side swept shoulder length silver hair, resting on her shoulder. She had a sunkissed complexion, highlighting quite an alluring natural beauty, despite it being an avatar. She had a beauty mark under her eye, both of which were a soft violet color. She was wearing a mostly violet outfit. It had dark violet sleeves, leaving her shoulders bear, the bust and front of the outfit was white in color, accenting all of her curves nicely. She wore violet pants, which left her thighs bare, her black shorts clearly visible. Around her waist was a short coat, along with a fanny pack that was filled with her ammunition. She was the first to notice him, but said nothing as she turned back to Kureha, a playful smirk on her face. The pinkette pulled her cue back, about to strike one of the striped balls.

"Oh my, I didn't think Haru and Rain would actually kiss in public." she said firmly, causing Kureha to strike the cue ball, sending it flying off the table, over the railing and onto the first floor. Her head whipped to the side, her eyes locking with Haru who was just standing there, looking at the two of them.

"Grr..you did that on purpose didn't you?"

"I couldn't very well let you sink one of my balls right?" Zeliska replied. Kureha frowned, most likely debating on breaking the stick over the older player's head.

"Whatever, at least you are finally here. For the record, would you tell us when you are going to enter us all in a competition?" the pinkette snapped, a look of annoyance on her face. The boy smirked, arms crossed over his chest.

"Ah well...I thought you wouldn't mind. After all you two owe me."

"I beg your pardon? I don't owe you shit! If anything you're the one that owes me." Kureha snapped, the grip on her cue stick increasing. Zeliska took a hold of the cue ball, which had been returned to the table by an NPC a moment ago. She lined up her shot, sinking the 2 ball with ease.

"Actually Kureha, you do owe me. If I recall, you asked me to accompany you to an abandoned factory on the Solitary Sands. Because you wanted some spare parts for your MP5. I was going to do a mission with Leafy and Rain that I bailed on for you. So uh...fraid to say, you owe me. Zeliska owes me one as well, which is why I also entered her name."

"I do recall that...you helped me locate that invisibility outfit. So I shall enter this contest with you, no questions asked. I was going to ask if you were going to join anyway. However I think next time, you should ask us ahead of time." the woman said, missing her shot. Kureha smirked, as she walked around the table, lining up her shot.

"Anyway, I didn't read the message. All I got was a temporary Squad invite, the Young Bloods, really?"

"Shut up! You know I love Fallout Boy to death! If you must know, I entered us in Halloween Jam. Leafy told me there was going to be new update for Gun Gale Online, which adds Zombies as a mode of play." he said. Kureha once again missed her shot, this time tearing the green felt that lined the bottom of the table.

"Oh my, you truly are terrible at this game, aren't you dear?"

"Shut up Zeliska. I am obviously distracted...now what's this about a Zombie Mode?" the pinkette asked. The older woman rolled her eyes, setting down the cue stick.

"Come, let's get a table. I believe this is a meeting we should be sitting down for. I already asked Daisy to bring Hinata as well, they should be here soon." she said, earning nods from the two.

It wasn't long before they found themselves at an empty table. Haru had ordered himself a soda, and was currently taking small sips through his straw. Zeliska had ordered some bourbon, saying it had been awhile since she had last drank, while Kureha went with water. After awhile though, the older woman set her glass down, folding her hands over the table top.

"Well, I'll explain the information that I have. The Halloween Jam is set to be an annual event, one of those holiday ones. The theme that was chosen years was zombies, so a zombie mode was added to Gun Gale Online. Zaksir struck a deal with Valve a few months ago. They've been working on a FullDive Zombie Game. Since this is an FPSVRMMO, they allowed Zaksir to add one campaign into the game. That being No Mercy from Left4Dead 1."

"Huh? Left4Dead? In GGO? Are you for real?" Kureha asked, almost spilling her water.

"I know! I couldn't believe it myself at first! I was so fucking ecstatic that I pulled Leafy along to the Governor General's office."

"I can tell you are a fan of the game then." Zeliska said.

"Duh, me and Haru used to stay up all night just playing Left4Dead2. It's still played today, but I haven't touched it in awhile. GGO has taken up most of my life after all. But of Zaksir is implementing this, it has to be for a reason right?"

"Yes...it's to promote an upcoming Beta for a game Valve is working on. Left4Dead Online. An MMO based on the original Left4Dead, which has a permadeath system. You all start as survivors in small groups of 4, and have to complete each level to get evacuated. They're porting the campaigns from both Left4Dead games. What's even better, Valve is apparently going to be holding contests to see who can create the best campaign, while also giving jobs to those who love programming. It's going to be an endless game, especially with all of the mods you can install."

"Hehe...Shrek Tank and Teletubby zombies here we come!" Haru said happily, finishing his soda, slamming the glass onto the table.

"Of course you'd want to install that. That does raise the question, why promote it through GGO? Do they have a partnership?"

"Mhmm...Zaksir and Valve are American Companies. So it was easy for them to get in touch and set everything up. Squad Jam became a popular thing here in Japan, which is why we're getting this update instead of the American Servers. If it goes well here, they'll release it World Wide. I heard everyone who participates gets to keep the update, and when they load GGO they can select the No Mercy server to play the game." Zeliska said, earning a nod from Kureha. She turned to Haru, who had a smile on his face.

"I guess we have another thing we can do together. It's been years since we last logged into Left4Dead2. This is gonna be a lot of fun!"

"Yes it is...I'm glad that I'll be playing with you Kureha...oh and Zeliska, and Hinata too." the boy said hastily, looking away from the pinkette. She flushed a bit, but decided to remain silent.

"Hmm...according to the information, the event begins tomorrow at 5PM. It says here that you won't be just going against Zombies, but against other squadrons called "Survivors". The aim of this is to be the first Squad to each the evacuation station on top of Mercy Hospital and successfully get evacuated out of the area. The squad that wins the tournament, will get special Left4Dead costumes, along with personalized in game weapons, and figurines of their avatars sent to their home. Wow, they're not skimping on the prizes." Zeliska said, smiling slightly as she read the details.

"F-figurines? Of our avatars?" Kureha asked, a flush on her face.

"What's wrong Momoji? Scared that your sister will look at you weird for having a figure of your GGO Avatar?" Haru asked, earning a glare from the girl.

"Don't call me that here! And no that isn't it! I just don't want a figurine of myself. It's to stop perverts like you from looking up my skirt."

"But you're wearing shorts underneath." the boy pointed out firmly.

"Ha! So you have tried to look!"

"What? That isn't it, dude...you knelt down one time to give me cover fire and I happened to glance up there. It wasn't my fault, I was trying to see if you were okay!" he called back.

"Fuckin' Perv!" the pinkette cried, slapping the boy across the face. He cried in surprise, rubbing his numb cheek. Zeliska giggled, noticing the pixelated handprint on the boy's face.

"You two argue more than a married couple. Why don't you make it official already?"

"Why don't you keep your mouth shut?!" Kureha hissed, grabbing a hold of her water. Zeliska just remained silent, hiding her smirk behind her hand. Haru on the other hand was frowning, his gaze elsewhere at the moment.

"Heh...a married couple...I know I told Leafy I would do this...but I don't think I'll be able too."

"Something the matter Captain?" Zeliska asked, causing the boy to look at her.

"Captain?"

"You're the Squad leader, so you're our captain. Anything you want us to prepare beforehand?" Zeliska asked curiously.

"Well...we're going to be facing hordes of zombies. Not just that, but other survivors as well. Left4Dead usually leaves ammo dumps in every safe room, but I don't exactly know how this one will work. It's most likely a huge map, and we'll all be trying to reach the hospital. Thankfully, me and Kureha memorized the layout enough to find a direct route. I believe Flash bangs and Frag Grenades will be good for this kind of thing. Knowing the creators, they'll probably introduce the Pipe Bomb for this thing." Haru said, his mood shifting a bit. He usually did this when talking about a mission or a hunt.

"Yes, I do agree with Haru on that. In fact, I think I'll be changing my Deneb Kaitos for an Assault Rifle. Zeliska, I believe you should change one of your weapons for a Shotgun. We're gonna be swamped by hordes, so something with a punch will do. I take it you'll be bringing your rifle?" Kureha asked.

"Mhmm...but I might end up changing it to the .308 barrel instead. There are Smokers we gotta worry about, it would also be good to counter other players. Last thing I want is to be caught off guard. That being said, we should all buy some extra ammunition for our firearms, just in case. Cleaning them will go a long way too, I already took care of that so I'll be fine." he said firmly.

"Hmm...what about Hinata? What will her parameters be set too?" Zeliska asked curiously.

"Healing of course, she'll be carrying a Shotgun too, just to have another person to clear. She'll also be in charge of our grenades, with her abilities, we should be okay. I'm not sure how many other players with Arfa-sys units will enter this thing. So having someone who can point out the locations of nearby players is ideal." he pointed out, earning a nod from Zeliska. She was about to say something, when Daisy and Hinata approached their table, both of them lost in conversation.

"Hello Master! I took care of those errands, I also managed to purchase more food along with spare parts for your guns!" Hinata said cheerfully. Haru stood up, giving her a pat on the head.

"Thank you Hinata. I'm sure you got the notification earlier right?"

"That's right, I'm glad that you decided to let me participate in this Halloween Jam! Do you need anything?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, me and Kureha are going to replenish ammo. I want you to go with Zeliska and get some grenades. If you can get some stat boosting garments, that would go along way too." he said.

"Is there anything you'd like for me to do Master?" Daisy asked, locking eyes with Zeliska, who shook her head.

"You'll be coming along with me Daisy, three heads are better than two. While Kureha and Haru are out getting ammo, we'll take care of the grenades and anything else we may need. I believe it's time to purchase new firearms as well." she said.

"Okay then...we'll buy what we need and meet up at Haru's apartment before the contest starts, at 3. That way we'll have two hours to look everything over and make sure we all have what we need, is t hat understood?" Kureha asked, earning nods from everyone.

"Yes, that will do just fine. Good luck you guys, I can tell this is going to be a lot of fun!" Haru said happily. He gave Hinata a hug, transferring some funds into her account. He and Kureha headed toward the Gun Store once they left the Bar, both walking in silence. It didn't take them long to reach the gun store, as it was only a few hundred meters from the bar. Zeliska had gone in the other direction, heading toward the Armor Shop instead.

"So...how come you didn't message us?" Kureha asked curiously, as they walked toward the other side of the store. Holographic screens towered above them, showing various types of guns, all in their neat sections. Handguns, Sub-Machine Guns, Assault Rifles, everything was in its neat little place. They decided to stop by the Handguns, as they were the closest.

"Oh uh...I had a lot on my mind. I wasn't actually looking to hang out with anyone, just wanted to watch the sunset." he admitted, placing his hand on the panel. A menu opened up, and he started looking at the ammunition.

"Gee...Federal Ammunition is so damn expensive." he muttered. He hit the arrow key, stopping on the number 5. Five cases of .45 ACP would be enough, as he already had 4 cases of Hydroshock Hollow Points in his inventory. He purchased them, seeing the 50,000 Credits disappear, leaving him with only 400,000 in total.

"Of course it's expensive, it's Federal. Why not switch to American Eagle instead?" Kureha suggested, earning a frown from the boy.

"I've been using Federal since day one...it wouldn't be right to exchange it now." he admitted. He purchased a few more magazines, adding them to his collection, before closing the menu. Kureha walked over to the Sub-Machine Gun area, already selecting her ammunition.

"I would have thought you'd have switched to something else by now. I bet the person you sold your M9 to is really happy."

"Um Kureha...I haven't sold the M9."

"Huh? But you can easily get 20,000 for it...why hang onto it?" Kureha asked curiously, brows furrowed in confusion.

"It was the first gun I ever shot...a precious gift from my friend. I could never part with it. I still have the Kagemitsu G4 too, even though I carry a Kotetsu G8 now." he admitted, patting the violet Photon Sword at his side. He had been exploiting the system a bit, though only two weapons could be equipped, if you had a third that wasn't registered to you, it could still be used. The Kotetsu G8 was registered to Daisy, but since she didn't go into the field, he was allowed to make use of it instead.

"Wow...I didn't think a common gun like that meant that much to you." the girl said with a giggle, her eyes trained on the Purchase Menu in front of her.

"Anything you give me is special Kureha...I just don't want to get rid of any of it." he thought to himself. He shook his head, deciding to walk over to the Sniper Rifle area of the store.

He had recently acquired a gun from a boss drop in a high level area of the Solitary Sands. It was a Savage BA 110, chambered in .308 Winchester and .338 Lapua. All he would have to do would be to exchange the barrel in order to change the caliber, along with some other internals. It was a beautiful gun, which had become his rapid favorite, as he loved being a sniper. He had gotten an SLR Scope for it as well, making it one of the most accurate rifles out there. The muzzle break was also custom, helping spread the recoil out the barrel rather than through the gun itself. The gun was so powerful, that the target would be dead before they heard the gunshot, making it a very good rifle against other players. A Sniper's first shot could never be dodged, and as long as he kept moving, no one would ever hear it coming until it was too late.

"What are you smiling about?" Kureha asked, hands on her hips as she looked at the boy.

"Oh...just thinking about my rifle, and how many heads I'm gonna blow apart with it. I'm having a hard time though, .308 Winchester or .338 Lapua?" he asked. Kureha adopted a pensive look, as she glanced at the ceiling.

"Hmm...they can't hear the first shot, so for long range it would be good. But we aren't playing a regular Squad Jam or a Bullet of Bullets. A sniper rifle of that caliber would only slow you down, especially against the hordes of Zombies, running zombies, mind you. Is bringing a sniper a good idea?" she asked.

"Normally not...but I can still get good vantage points. Besides, if this is Left4Dead, then I wanna try to Crown the Witch, I never got that damn achievement growing up." he said, earning an eye roll from the girl.

"You never change...still while it is a bad idea, I guess as long as you have Hinata, me and Zeliska backing you up, you'll be fine. Just try not to get boxed in."

"Please, you know how high my AGI stat is? I can go John Wick on these fucks if I wanted to." Haru boasted, a smirk on his face.

"Yes, except John Wick used a Glock to kill people and last I recall, you hate Glocks with a passion."

"Excuse me, I don't like plastic guns. They feel like little kid toys, I want something that packs a punch, but still looks beautiful. That's why I selected the Sig Saur P226, not to mention this is the carry gun of the United States Navy Seals." he said, drawing his pistol from his holster to emphasize his point.

"I am aware of that, you wouldn't stop boasting about it when you bought it. You looked like a kid in a candy store...it reminds me of the time you got that rare Kagemaru toy from the capsule machine. You were so happy you wouldn't stop smiling."

"I remember that...Golden Kagemaru, one of only 500 in the world. That was plain lucky...it was the only one that had been put in that machine too...though I recall something else." he said, earning a confused look from Kureha.

"What was that? I don't remember anything else happening that day."

"Oh um...I actually gave it to you. You kept buying more and more capsules until you ran out of change. You left in a huff with a small bag of capsule toys. But in the care ride home, I heard you sniffling. I gave you that toy when we got home remember?" he asked. The girl frowned, trying to recall the memory, a small smile appearing on her face shortly after.

"Oh right...you did, I think I still have it somewhere. I gave you all of those capsules too. Of course you couldn't open any of them so we ended up opening capsules while your mom made dinner."

"Yup...that was one of my favorite days you know." he said happily. She flushed, looking away from the boy.

"Yeah well, we're not here to gallivant through Memory Lane. We're here for ammo, so let's get Hinata and Zeliska's stuff and call it a night." she said firmly, brushing past him.

It had been rather easy to procure ammunition for the two remaining members of their squad. Since Hinata used an M14 Rifle, he had already known what caliber to get her. Zeliska's rifle used 5.56mm ammunition, so he just dumped ten boxes of each in his inventory and paid up for it. He was sure Zeliska had plenty laying in her inventory, but one thing about GGO had been ingrained in his mind. You can never have too much ammunition. It reminded him a lot about his days playing Pokemon, how NPC's always told him, you can never have too many Pokeballs. It was true in a way.

"Well...that was easier than I had expected. We got a long wait time tomorrow, loading magazines is so fun." Kureha said, sounding dejected.

"It isn't so bad, you're pretty much a professional at this rate. Even I struggle with rifle rounds sometimes." Haru admitted.

"That's because you are still a noob." she said, poking his nose. He brushed her hand aside, scowling at her.

"I am not a noob! I'm over level 40 now."

"Level means nothing here you know, it's all about gun skills." she said.

"Don't make me get my revolvers out, I'll pull an Ocelot and I'm sure you wouldn't want that." he said, earning a sigh from Kureha.

"No I wouldn't...shit, I'm so happy it's the weekend. I don't gotta worry about school. What about you?"

"Same...though I am gonna be alone for the weekend. Kyoko is staying with Sayaka for the night, and mom is gonna be working out of Tokyo. So it's just me." he said.

"Oh...sorry to hear that, but hey at least you have GGO. If you want to log on after breakfast, we can go on a mission to pass the time. If we earn more money, we can easily buy whatever ammo we waste."

"Yeah, that would be cool. Gives us time to get on the ball before the Halloween Jam starts." he said. She gave him a nod, swiping her hand down to log out.

"Well...see ya tomorrow then, try not to stay up late." she joked, about to hit the logout button.

"Kureha wait!" the boy cried out, causing the girl to stop. She gave him an odd look of confusion.

"What? Something you wanna say? Pfft...don't tell me you don't want to log out yet." she said, an amused look on her face.

"Oh god...why did I even stop her? I still haven't thought about what to say to her. Maybe I should wait until after the tournament to tell her." he thought.

"Now now, don't you dare do that Haru! I told you, you have to tell her how you feel already! I'll be mad if you don't!" the voice of Leafa said, he glanced at his shoulder, almost expecting a Chibi Leafa to be standing on it.

"You okay? You haven't said anything, if you got nothing to say then I'm logging out." Kureha said firmly.

"Fuck...If I do say something she'll just get mad. Especially if I start stuttering...oh god...what do I do? Can't do the subtle approach...Ah...I guess I just have to go for it!" he thought, a small smile on his face. Kureha just looked at him oddly, swiping her menu closed as she turned to face him, hands at her hips.

"Listen, I have no idea what the hell you want from me, so hurry up and spit it out!"

Rather than saying anything, Haru placed his hands on her hips, capturing her lips in a kiss. Kureha's eyes widened in shock, being taken by complete surprise. Everything just stopped for her, a small warning of Sexual Harassment flashing onto her HUD. Her heart started racing, causing the system to display the abnormal heartbeat before her. Haru finally pulled away, not saying anything to the girl, cheeks glowing red.

"I...sorry I shouldn't have done that...I...fuck...I like you okay? I have for awhile, I didn't know how to say it so...yeah." he said firmly. Kureha didn't say anything. She was still trying to register what had just happened in her mind, when he told her this right after. She turned away from him, swiping the menu in front of her.

"Kureha wait."

"Bye Haru." she said, her tone bearing no emotion as she hit the Logout button. Her avatar glowed orange as it disappeared, leaving the boy standing all by himself. He fell to his knees, his nerves making him lose the feeling in his legs.

"Shit...that went over well."

"You know...I was all for the subtle approach, but I think that just broke her mind." the voice of Leafa said, causing the boy to look up.

"Leafy?"

"Sorry, I saw you at the gun store and couldn't help but follow you."

"Ugh...dammit...I fucked up didn't I?"

"No...she just...probably...took it the wrong way." the girl said.

"Took it the wrong way?"

"Listen, when a boy kisses a girl out of the blue like that, it just confuses the hell out of them. Take it from me, a girl. If the guy that I liked kissed me and confessed right after, I'd want some time to process is it. Hell I'm surprised the system didn't boot her out due to her high heart rate, I could hear the beeping from here." she said, a playful grin on her face.

"Oh...god she's gonna hate me now."

"No she isn't...just give her time. Talk to her tomorrow and get a clear answer out of her, just don't force her into anything okay? I'm rooting for you slugger."

"Great, not you're starting to sound like Asuna."

"Sorry, I've been spending a lot of time with my future Sister-in-Law, it isn't my fault." the girl said.

"I...don't think I wanna log out right now...you wanna go for a flight or something?" he asked, reaching for his UFG.

"Sure why not? Liz and Silica logged out already so I have nothing better to do." she admitted. Haru nodded, wrapping his arm around the girl, taking aim at one of the tall buildings in Glocken.

"God...I royally screwed the pooch didn't I? I just hope she isn't mad at me...I will admit, that expression was really cute."

"Ahem...stop thinking about Kureha, I don't want you to drop me."

"Sorry Leafy."