Summary: Shortly after Sachi's death, Kirito receives a gift box from her. Her words, though heartfelt, were not as heartfelt as Sachi's original message, which was quickly deleted by Sachi herself in order to save Kirito some heartache after her death. (Rated T for a small mention of suicide)

(I do NOT own SAO/ Sword Art Online)

A cold draft seeped through the dimly lit room, the light coming from the two frozen windows. A boy cloaked in midnight was somberly sitting at his desk, his head between his arms in hopes to block out the lasted events.

His whole guild was wiped out earlier that day. Most were brutally killed by the mobs that spawned in to the trapped they had oh so easily fell for. The other, heartbroken by his comrade's defeat, committed suicide right before his very eyes. More importantly, Sachi, the girl he had promised to protect, was killed under his guard.

Kirito, one of the strongest beaters in all of SAO, had almost broken down.

A light beeping caught the raven haired boy's attention as he lifted his head from his arms.

'A gist box,' he mumbled in his head, tapping the icon softly. Though Kirito had expected a gift box, his whole demeanor changed when he saw the name to it's right.

"Sachi…." he uttered, his hand slightly shaking as he pressed the icon to listen to her message.

The message that followed was incredibly heartbreaking. Sachi, the girl he swore to protect, had known she'd probably die by the time he would have received this. She explained to him that she knew he would blame himself when she would, inevitably, die on her own accord. She told him that she felt safe with him, almost like she could go on fighting just for his sake. She revealed that she had known his real level, happy that he was better than she had anticipated. From there, she bid him farewell after humming him the tune to 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.'

However, this message was not the last thing Sachi had recorded for her savior. You see, Sachi had recorded another message prior to the one Kirito had received, but had quickly deleted it due to her worry on how Kirito would respond.

June 19th, 2023

Sachi sat on her bed, her gift box in hand. The blue haired girl sighed, tapping on the icon to begin recording her last words to the Black Swordsman.

Sucking in her final breath, she held on to the gift box tightly, almost as if her life depended on it. 'I have to do this…for Kirito…"

And with that thought, she began.

"Merry Christmas, Kirito! If you're reading this, I'm most likely dead by now. And if not, then you did a pretty good job at protecting me…" she let out a shaky laugh, clearing her throat as she continued to speak. "I wanted to send you this message because I know that once I die, you'll blame yourself for my death. However, I want you to know that it's not. If anything, Kirito, you saved me from dying earlier that you intended."

As her heart beat faster, and her hands grew sweaty, Sachi sighed. "If it weren't for you, I would have given up on going home by now. But, after you comforted me under that bridge, and after you promised me that I'd make it back to the real world…..I didn't feel like dying anymore. After that night, I wanted to live for you, with you, be with you….and now I know you'd be beating yourself up for some weak girl who didn't have a chance to begin with."

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, her hands shaking slightly as she continued to speak. "All I wanted to say is….."

"You're my hero, Kirito, and I hope that, after I'm gone, you can continue living and see the end to this world. Even if you won't do it for you, please do it for me. Even though I couldn't survive to see my parents again, I'll rest easily knowing you'd be back home were you belong….maybe you'll even find another girl to love afterwards."

She sucked in a shaky breath, sniffling silently before she ended the message.

"Just please promise me that, Kirito. Promise me that you'll be happy after I'm gone. Promise me to live your life to the fullest, because, if you're not happy, that'd hurt me more than dying."

"Arigato, Kirito; I love you."

(Ah, angst, my personal favorite fanfic genre. Not much has changed, except for the 'I love you' part, but I think that if Kirito had heard that, he would have surely broken down. But, That's just my opinion so. )

(I hope you guys enjoyed this one, and I might upload some chapters of the MA tomorrow, or in a few days. )